Mulan, the latest in the line of Disney’s live-action adaptations and perhaps the biggest one to date, is now available to stream on Disney+. The film not only sticks more closely to the legendary source material, it also expands on the relationship between father and daughter at the story’s center.
Tzi Ma, who plays Mulan’s father Hwa Zhou, spoke to Screen Rant about the responsibility of championing Asian representation on a scale as large as this. He also expressed his admiration for – and jealousy of – the animated original and all its cast.
Can you talk in general about your experience on the film?
Tzi Ma: Uh, I have never been on a set where I feel like there is a blanket covering me. I feel secure; it is the best security blanket ever behind. I felt safe to explore whatever I wanted, and this is all cultivated by our fearless leader, Niki Carol, who has this knack of giving you the kind of love and attention that a mother would give a child.
What would you say you've learned from your onscreen daughter?
Tzi Ma: Dedication, perseverance, truth. Every moment is honest. Great chemistry, generous - this young lady is so generous and so kind. Not a mean bone in her body. And to go through all the training that she did - strength training, endurance training, fight choreography, horseback riding, archery - and never a word of complaint. She is a warrior.
How familiar were you with the original Mulan when it came out?
Tzi Ma: Man, I'm telling you, I was jealous of all those people. The casting notice went out, but I was working on something else. And I said, "Come on, save me a spot." Obviously, time waits for no man. They went ahead, did it, and I saw it and said, "Represent." I loved it.
I think all the people from the original cast - Ming Na - are exquisite. Everybody, the entire cast. I am so grateful that Disney did the animation, and it obviously affected a lot of young Asian American girls growing up.
You play Mulan's father, which is one of the most significant roles in the film. Can you talk about the responsibility and burden your character carries when it comes to the traditional versus the modern?
Tzi Ma: That's a great question. I think Mulan's dad is very much present in today's society, because of his attitude. His responsibility to a young girl growing up into a young woman - 1500 years ago, at 14, you're going to get married. Forget about discovering your talents; forget about discovering your gifts.
This is one dad that did not. He encouraged her; he gave her the room to grow. He really just embraced the fact that he is blessed with two girls. He didn't say, "I had two girls." He said, "I am blessed with two daughters," and that means a lot to everybody.
And this is a modern concept. Because 1500 years ago, that's not gonna happen. I really appreciated that message. We appreciated the fact that this message is for all of us today.
You've had a legendary career. In the past few years you've done Veep, The Farewell and now Mulan. How does it feel to have so many projects that have touched people in meaningful ways?
Tzi Ma: Well, I'm blessed. I thank all the other guardian angels surrounding me that give me this opportunity. And I take it seriously, I really do. I think, still today, Asian male representation in films is still lacking. I really want to explore telling the world that there are different facets of us that you should know about.
More importantly, holding up the mirror to our own people and saying, "Hey, man, this is you. What do you think? Is this something that you want to be? Is this the kind of father you want to be? Is this the man you want to be?" We have a lot of responsibility, particularly the men. To have these opportunities to share this with the world, I can find no other job that's more meaningful.
This is one of the largest productions Disney's ever done. What was the feeling on set, knowing that you were creating something special?
Tzi Ma: Every person, up and down, knows it. Because it is about a commitment. Normally, when I'm doing these films, I'm doing a budget that's the size of the catering budget on the Mulan set. You know how hard that is. To get that kind of support, to say, "We believe in you. We're going to support you financially to make this the best film you can make" - I'm telling you, everybody felt it.
Everybody was up there, raising the bar and bringing their A+ game. Bot just their A game; their A+ game. Up and down, not just the cast, you look at all the departments that contributed to this beautiful film - and most of the heads of departments were women. First AD; Mandy Walker, who's our DP, costumes, hair and makeup - and women of color. That's what I'm talking about.
Asian representation in film is on the upswing. With movies like Mulan and Marvel's Shang-Chi featuring a large Asian cast, where do you hope the future leads?
Tzi Ma: I hope the quantities go up. Right now, there's still very few in my mind. I think that since Asian America is a multicultural, multi-ethnic society, we need as many voices that we can get out there to represent all of us. Because we cannot speak for everyone, we need more voices. We need diverse voices, we need mixes; we need many more diversity in the same screen. All of these things are things that are on the agenda, and I'm ticking them off one by one. That's how it goes.
You said you were a big fan of the animated Mulan. Is there anything you took from your animated counterpart for the live-action performance?
Tzi Ma: Ming-Na's voice is amazing, so that already kind of sets the tone from the beginning of the film for me. Because I keep on hearing the voice and it always sounds like our young Mulan.
Soon-Tek Oh, who did the voice for the dad, was such a great actor. Back in the day, if Soon-Tek was in a movie, you know that's gonna be a good move. I pay homage to him and all the other wonderful artists who were in the animation. They didn't include me - it's okay that I'm a little jealous, right?
What's your favorite song from the original?
Tzi Ma: "Reflection." I'm telling you, there's so much depth in that song. And when it's sung by Christina Aguilera? Please. She was 17 when she sang that song, right? Wow, so good.
Mulan is now streaming on Disney+.