In her recent interview with Stylecaster.com, comedian, rapper, and actress Awkwafina not only discussed what drew her to Disney’s upcoming animated film Raya and the Last Dragon. She offered some details about her mystery role in Marvel’s highly anticipated Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings for the very first time.
While she couldn’t exactly reveal the name of her character, or how big her character is, she did go on to say:
“I do feel like I can relate to her. I can’t say much about the role, but I can say that she is thrust into a world where she doesn’t really know what to do. At the same time, she’s discovering things about herself. The Marvel universe is incredible. To work within it is like utopia. Nothing goes wrong. Everyone is so supportive. Everyone is super passionate and into it at every level. I’m really excited for people to see it.”
She also spoke about the importance of Asian American representation, and how the film avoids the average Asian tropes:
“When you think about certain things that have characterized Asians and Asian Americans in American media, you think about things like kung fu and martial arts. While this movie is actually about that, we were able to work with world-class stunt teams of people where this is their livelihood. So the authenticity that the studio and Destin approached those tropes is very, very special. When you want to avoid certain things, you have to be authentic with it. You have to do it the right way. Everything that this movie is about in terms of the culture and also the action movie genre, it’s authentic every way through.”
As she mentions, Shang-Chi is set to be the MCU’s first film with an Asian American lead, and will pave the way for a brand new generation of diverse heroes and stories.
While plot – and obviously character – details have been kept tightly under wrap, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it’s possible we may get more information this Thursday during Disney’s Investor Day.
The film is directed by Daniel Destin Cretton (Short Term 12, Just Mercy), and will star actor, writer, and stuntman Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience) as the titular hero. Having finished filming this past October, the film is expected to be released on July 9, 2021.
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