Ben Wang was just six years old when he moved from Beijing to a small rural town in Minnesota. He recalls having to start all over and figure out his place in this new life and city. It’s one of the reasons he feels closely connected to his character, Li Fong, in the new Karate Kid: Legends.
“This is a character from Beijing moving to America,” Wang tells The Nerds of Color over Zoom. “He has to figure out his life in New York — and I had the same exact story. I’m now [living] in New York. So, it was very unexpected to see a story that so closely resembles my own in a major studio blockbuster.”
Although Li’s passion in the film was for martial arts (against his mother’s wishes), Wang’s love was for the theatre. He participated in community theater growing up, with the support of his mother, who wanted him to socialize and make friends. However, he did face some hesitation when he considered pursuing the arts professionally.
“When I began [theater] at a young age, she was very encouraging of it because she saw that it was a good way for me to grow socially and a good exercise for me, which is something I’ve always been thankful for,” Wang shares. “There was a little bit of reticence when I told her I wanted to do it professionally, but I think that came from the fact that she wanted to make sure that it was something that I could accomplish if I went for it, and there was something that I would be able to stick with.”
Like Li’s mother allowing him to fight in the karate tournament, Wang’s mother supported his decision, but he would have to fund it all himself. It’s why he paid for all his college applications and flights to auditions for drama programs himself. (He ended up at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.)
“She just sat back and said, ‘You go for it, but you’ve got to do it yourself,’ he recalls. “So I did it myself. Then, once I showed her that I could do that and I got into these prestigious colleges and drama programs, she was more okay with it and has been supportive ever since.”
Because of that, he didn’t have to reach far into Li’s psyche to develop the character. He simply followed what was written on the page because he trusted the studio and filmmakers, and they trusted him to portray this character accurately. Ralph Macchio, the original Karate Kid who appears in this film as a Li’s mentor, called Wang to relieve any pressure he may have felt.
“[Ralph said,] ‘This franchise, these characters, and stories [have] a deep legacy,” Wang recalls. “He said, ‘Jackie [Chan] and I bring that legacy, so you should feel free to do what it is [you want] with this character — make him fresh. Make him your own.’ I got a lot of freedom and encouragement to do what I wanted with the character.”
Wang doesn’t take this position lightly. He understands the history and the love for these films. It’s why he thought it was so cool, and made sense for the new movie to focus on an Asian person as the lead, telling this story of two martial arts practices merging as one.
“I think that’s an optimistic sign of the expanding scope of the stories that we’re telling,” says Wang.
The Karate Kid movies and the Netflix series, Cobra Kai, were predominantly led by white actors, which had the trope of a foreigner learning an Asian martial art and becoming more skilled than those who have been doing it for years. With Li at the center — having already trained in martial arts (he’s not a novice learning) — it gives a more grounded story that feels appropriate and natural.
“Interestingly enough, even if you look at the first Karate Kid movie, these movies aren’t about karate,” Wang explains. “The original was about this Japanese tradition. In the 2010 remake with Jackie Chan, it was the Chinese tradition of kung fu. They’ve always included these prominent Asian characters. The late great Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi [gave] a pioneering performance and an interesting instance of a character.”
Wang praised Morita’s iconic portrayal of Mr. Miyagi and how well-rounded the character was with multiple layers and dimensions. He says that the character had a backstory — Miiyagi served in the military and had a family. Li’s story itself was given so much depth and layers to explore to avoid stereotyping and tropes, including not giving Li a Chinese accent, despite being from China (the character went to an international school).
“They didn’t have to go that far, [but they did that],” says Wang. “With the 2010 remake, it was set entirely in China, so the franchise has always had a respect that has been growing and changing with the times. These traditions and pieces of culture are rooted in Asia to begin with, and bring them to a new generation. It’s great.”
Now, Wang prepares for his next lead role in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. He also has another film, The Long Walk, based on Stephen King’s horror story of the same name, scheduled for release later this year.
After doing two martial arts-based projects (American Born Chinese and Karate Kid: Legends) and two upcoming dystopian films, Wang hasn’t thought much about what genre he’d like to work in. But, because of his musical theatre background, he wouldn’t mind doing a musical.
“That was my first sort of dream right early on to work in musical theater because it was all I knew,” says Wang. “I grew up in a place where I met people who’d done musicals. I didn’t have anyone in my life working in film or TV professionally. I just didn’t know that was a thing you could do. So yeah, a musical would be fun — a musical movie. I don’t know. I’ve sort of done period pieces before, but something set in a different time would be fun to do too.”
Wang is enjoying the moment, given everything that is happening with the film’s promotions, but now prepares for his upcoming projects. He says he’s learned a lot from Ralph and Jackie as they’ve been in the game for so long. He hopes to have their passion and longevity in this industry.
“Jackie Chan has been in the industry now for 64-65 years,” says Wang. “He’s made 200+ movies, and he still comes to set every day with the passion of someone who is on set for the first time. He’s enamored by the way everything works. He’s curious about every piece of the job. Ralph has been doing these films for over 40 years. He’s been [portraying] this character for 40 years, and he still has [a great deal] of passion for preserving the truth of that character and the storyline he [established] 40 years ago with Pat Morita. Seeing all of that was admirable and left me with no excuses. If they can come with that much passion, then I gotta!”
Check out the full interview below:
Karate Kid: Legends opens in theaters everywhere on May 30.
