Ming-Na Wen is excited to return to the big screen in Karate Kid: Legends.
The iconic 61-year-old Disney Legend has been busy working on television series and films, all of which have been shot in her hometown of Los Angeles. Wen has carefully chosen projects that allow her to be close to home with her family. But as her kids are getting older (one is an adult living across the country), she has begun to accept projects that require her to travel for filming.
“It’s been a while since I’ve ventured back into film,” Wen tells The Nerds of Color. “I was so busy raising the kids. I wanted to make sure the projects were in L.A. and that I had a fairly normal schedule. Now that we’re almost empty-nesting, I’m getting back in the film [scene].”
Karate Kid: Legends required Wen to travel outside the U.S. to film. But she knew she had to be part of the franchise. She was a “massive fan” of the Karate Kid movies and Netflix’s Cobra Kai series. When Karate Kid: Legends director, Jonathan Entwistle, approached her for the part of Dr. Fong, the mother of the lead, Li Fong (Ben Wang), she felt connected to the story right away.
“I was so excited,” she explains. “I loved [Entwistle’s] vision. I loved his previous works, so it was a no-brainer for me.”
In the film, after losing her oldest son due to a fight in China, Dr. Fong takes her only son with her to begin a new life in New York City. Li, who trained in kung fu under Mr. Han (Chan), tries to adapt to this new city and find a new purpose, but is still struggling with the death of his brother. He finds himself drawn back to martial arts, but in the form of karate. In good old-fashioned Karate Kid lore, there’s always a tournament to compete in.
Dr. Fong is an interesting character. She has elements of a “Tiger Mom,” but also gives her child the freedom to grow and be independent. Wen loved how she was written because “she could have been a very stereotypical tiger mom.” Instead, she eventually allowed her son to do what he wanted.
“I wanted to go deeper about the reasons why and where she was at,” says Wen. “Jonathan got all of it right away.”
The character reminded Wen of her mother, who would work for many hours, leaving her children to their own devices. There were no cell phones back then, so her mother had no clue where they were, but she says her mother knew she had left a good foundation in her kids. When she told them they had to be home at a specific time, Wen says they were home at that time.
“It’s a very typical dynamic type thing,” Wen reflects. “You feel like you’ve raised them with enough values and enough discipline that you can let them go at the same time and entrust that they will do it.”
It’s also another reason why Dr. Fong ultimately supports her son’s participation in the Karate tournament. Wen jokes that Uncle Han was also persuasive in convincing her.
“Uncle Han [said Li] needed this,” says Wen. “Everybody goes through their grieving and healing process differently. For the sake of her son, it became apparent to her that by not allowing him to stand strong and do something that he loves — his love of martial arts– he would be a lesser human being, carrying this grief and guilt for a very long time. It was for the sake of her son and their relationship that changed her mind.”
The film portrays an honest portrayal of an immigrant mother and her son grieving in their own ways without ever confronting or talking about it. Wen appreciated that aspect of their relationship because that’s how the older generation culturally dealt with those issues.
“There’s a cultural upbringing of [not] displaying your grief,” she says. “It’s not dignified to just be bawling in public. This is something that you do in private. I think for [Dr. Fong], it was a sense of self-respect and just her upbringing. A lot of times, you don’t want to deal with it, because it’s a constant reminder of that loss that is so painful that it’s better to just be distracted and move to another country. You’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep surviving — and, at the same time, wanting to protect her son from his memories of that situation.”
Wen resonated with the film and her character as a mother. She says she still worries about them daily, and is so proud of the people they’re becoming. She can’t fathom the idea of losing any loved one to violence, but understands the many shades and stages of grief and healing.
“You are always still [a mom] every single day,” says Wen. “It’s just part of who I am, so I completely understand that part of who Dr Fong is.”
As for future projects, Wen is now ready to explore more opportunities. She laughs, thinking about the franchises she has not participated in yet. She mentions that she has yet to appear in any of the Star Trek films or shows, Game of Thrones-esque shows, or the Harry Potter world. But, as a romantic at heart, Wen says she’d love to be in a romantic comedy.
“There are so many franchises out there,” she exclaims. “I think the ultimate one I want to do is some romantic comedy. That’s the genre I love, and I’ve never tapped into doing a romantic comedy.”
Check out the complete interview below:
Karate Kid: Legends opens in theaters everywhere on May 30.