Mulan's release is just days away now, after three delays. September 4 is the film's fourth official release date. "These dates are etched in my mind," Tzi Ma says. "I know every date. March 27th. July 24th. August 21st. That's the chronology."
It has been a long wait.
The actor – who plays Mulan's father in the highly-anticipated Disney+ film – is in Vancouver, sitting in an unfurnished home. He has finished his 14-day quarantine and is getting ready to shoot another Asian-led project, a reboot of the 1970s show Kung Fu.
"As you can see behind me, it's empty," he laughs, as we chat on Zoom. "I've just moved in! I don't have a stitch of furniture. They're coming to do the deep clean tomorrow, so I don't want to put stuff in here and then they have to move it around."
Like Mulan, Tzi is passionate when talking about the new Kung Fu series, coming in 2021. The original series cast David Carradine as a half-Asian man, after Warner Bros decided against having an Asian actor as the lead.
This time around, it's different. The present-day reboot's lead is Asian American actress Olivia Liang and the show will portray an Asian American family (Tzi will play the father), extremely rare for a dramatic series.
"We're reclaiming that series for ourselves. That's what we're doing," he says. "Payback time."
So it's easy to see why the wait for Mulan has been difficult. Although Disney's Mulan character and the 1998 animated movie are beloved, for many Asian diaspora people the live-action film means something different.
"You'll be proud of it," Tzi tells me. "It is cinematic. It is meant for the big screen. But I'm relieved that finally the world is going to get an opportunity to see it. It's really, really an amazing piece of work.
"And I'm sure when [Asian diaspora] kids see it, immediately it's going to happen here, in their minds – seeing someone who looks like them. Throughout the entire screen! Every character is going to look like you. It blows my mind.
"The film is a celebration. A celebration of culture, a celebration of family, a celebration of women's contributions to our world. And you're going to see – even more so than any other time – a group of men who are Asian, who are in so many different characters and sizes and shapes, and the camaraderie. I don't think I've seen it like this ever in a Hollywood film.
"I can't even begin to tell you what that means to me."
It would be an understatement to say that the world is a very different place compared to March, when the film was originally meant to be released. The past six months have seen a huge increase in xenophobia against China and Chinese people. The pandemic is one reason, with many quick to unfairly blame Chinese people for the coronavirus.
Then there's Donald Trump and his non-stop anti-China rhetoric.
I ask Tzi if he feels that the release of Mulan has greater importance given the current global climate.
"It's going to do more good than harm for sure," he replies. "There's obstacles. People are going to resist [the idea of watching an Asian cast] because of the coronavirus, because we're constantly being blamed on a global scale.
"If anything, word of mouth is really important. I can't even begin to even tell you how the word of mouth on social media is going to help this film. If there had been no COVID, anybody would have just enjoyed it and said, 'Wow, this is an amazing piece of entertainment'. Subliminally they wouldn't realise that the entire cast is Asian.
"Hopefully, people are going to say it's a universal story. It's a story of human beings, about values that we all strive to have."
Liu Yifei is the star leading the film, playing the titular Mulan, and it's clear how much affection Tzi has for his on-screen daughter. He only has glowing things to say about Yifei, praising her commitment to the demanding role.
"She gives her entire being. She embodies that spirit," he says. "And her ability to connect with other cast members where you feel the chemistry of these relationships – familial relationships, the brotherhood.
"[The amount of] training itself, it's ridiculous. Military training, combat training, stunt training, stamina training. And we all live in the same place, in the same hotel. We see each other every day. The boys are complaining. 'Oh my god, I can't walk, that killed me'. But not a word from Yifei. She raises the bar, and I think (director) Niki (Caro) has said that in interviews. You've got to bring your A-game or you're going to disappear in the scene."
Tzi adds: "She's kind. There's no mean bone in this young lady."
Last August, Yifei sparked backlash over a social media post related to the Hong Kong protests on Weibo, the China equivalent of Twitter. There were calls to boycott the film at the time. One year later, Tzi says he isn't concerned at all by any boycott.
"Because I know who she is." Of the accusations made against Yifei, he adds: "I don't believe everything you hear from social media and the internet. You have to do your own diligence – people make comments all the time. You're going to believe everything? 'Drink chloride to cure your COVID-19' – you're going to do it?
"You don't even know how true that is. Do a little bit of research. And be a little more global. Understand her predicament, too. You need to do a little more."
Yifei was accused of supporting police brutality, but many took her post out of context. She shared an image of a quote which, translated, reads: "I support the Hong Kong police. You can beat me now." The quote came from Global Times reporter Fu Guohao. At the time, he directed the words at a group of Hong Kong protesters who were attacking and tying him up. This incident at Hong Kong International Airport happened a couple of days prior to Yifei's post.
I mention to Tzi that there's a racist undertone to some of the backlash as well.
"Yeah. There's a lot of hate out there. They will throw the kitchen sink at you," he says. "It's really upsetting for me, not because of what they throw at me. I can handle it. But to throw it at this young lady – walk in her shoes for a bit. You look at someone with an opportunity to represent all of us. And you're going to give her shit about one sentence? A little harsh, don't you think?
"If you're going to make these kinds of aggressive comments, be responsible – unlike some other people we know who don't give a... It makes me upset."
"This is the father you want to have."
Tzi smiles as he talks about his role as Mulan's father. Like in the animated film, Hua Zhou is conscripted into the Imperial Army before his daughter takes his place, disguising herself as a man. The actor describes Zhou in the live-action movie as a loving and supportive father who is proud to help Mulan on her journey.
"Here's a character who says, 'I am blessed with two daughters'," Tzi says. "He's not, 'I have two daughters' or 'I have a couple of girls'. 'I am blessed with two daughters'. In the Tang dynasty, and even today in our society, how many fathers are going to [say that]? And he's one of those fathers who sees potential... Mulan's dad is a very nurturing father, a father who understands that potential cannot be squashed.
"I can't tell you how happy I am to introduce this particular dad to the world."
I note that this goes against some of the stereotypes seen with Asian fathers in Hollywood TV and films over the years.
"Absolutely. As you know, I've played a lot of dads," he says. Some of Tzi's most recent father roles include turns in The Farewell and Tigertail. "In every dad character that I play, I want to make sure that the audience sees – particularly for ourselves [Asians] – who we are, who we can be, and who we shouldn't be.
"I've played some tiger dads. I want to make sure I hold the mirror up to you. If you are that type of dad, you are going to see yourself. 'How do you feel about that?' That's all I want to do. I want you to have the opportunity to see yourself and whether or not you think you need to make some adjustments. And if I portray something that has values for you to model after, it's my gift to you.
"I'm not going to allow [anyone] to stereotype my dad. I understand some of these dads that they don't fully understand – because I'm from the culture."
And that's a common problem, when Western people harshly judge Chinese and other Eastern cultures. I say that even if some of the criticisms are well-meaning, they don't have the full context.
"They can't," Tzi adds. "That's why they hire me and talk to you. Because they don't have the experience. They can't. They can only read about it. It takes a really special individual to be able to see the world through your eyes. I can only see the world from my eyes – it's asking a lot.
"But do hire me. Do hire people who can help you flesh this character out and give it its meat, not just the skeleton. I understand what you're driving at, but I can help you. I can flesh out this guy for you. It will be much more than you can ever even imagine. Because you're not me."
In March, Tzi opened up to Variety about racist abuse he experienced as the coronavirus spread in the US. That same week, he was involved in starting the #WashTheHate hashtag, calling out the hostility towards Asian Americans.
"I've always been an activist first," he explains, "before I became an actor. I've been an activist since I was 13. I'm never shy about these things. I've always been vocal. I have a voice and I have an amplifier because of who I am. If I don't use it, then what's the point?
"I don't want to be the amplifier. I just want to do my job, do what I love. But if you're going to put me in that position, then I need to use it in a positive way.
"So I speak up, and I will continue to do that. I've done it all my life."
Tzi brings up one horrific incident in July, where an elderly Chinese woman was slapped and then set on fire by two strangers near her Brooklyn home. "You're talking about an 89-year-old grandmother in New York who is lit on fire. Is that not a hate crime?"
Coronavirus-related racism is not just happening in America, of course. It's happening around the world.
"If we don't start to stand up for people who cannot, if we don't stand up for people who are more vulnerable, then why do we exist in this world? That's part of our job," Tzi says.
"I'm not asking you if you don't feel comfortable, but do what you can. These are dangerous situations. You could be in harm's way, so you need to know when to say, 'OK, I don't think I can handle this in this moment'. If you can document it, document it. If you can figure out some way to diffuse [a situation], please do if you can. You just need to know what your capacity is."
The topic turns back to Mulan, as Tzi reveals he had met every cast member prior to filming except for Gong Li. He recalls meeting Jet Li: Jet was filming Lethal Weapon 4 when he took the time out to visit Asian American theatre East West Players and support a fundraiser Tzi was part of.
"There are no strangers on this set for me, and I know what this means to every one of them. They know what's at stake," he adds.
"We can't take anything for granted. We've got to spread the word. We've got to let people know. We've got to let the AAPI community and the global Asian community know that this film is representing all of us. Help us. We've done the work. Now let everybody see the work."
Tzi says he has never been more confident about a project that he's worked on. Not only that, but he strongly feels that the actors involved are deserving of awards recognition.
He mentions Hollywood's history of snubbing Asian actors including the SAG award-winning stars of this year's Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite. Despite six Academy Award nominations, the South Korean film received none for acting.
"Personally I don't really [care] about awards, but we've been overlooked. The actors have been overlooked," he says. "This is a phenomenon that's happened throughout. It's unacceptable. If there's anything that can help us cross that threshold, Mulan would be it. There's some powerful performances."
Tzi believes Yifei's performance as Mulan is Oscar-worthy, and gives a special mention to Gong Li.
"It's not just the production, the film, the costumes," he adds. "We want to make sure we're included in this. I want people to say, 'You can't have Best Picture without the actors. What, are we looking at puppets?'. That's important. For us, for the community... It's really important that this happens with Mulan.
"That needs to be our push, too. To really right the wrong. It's payback time."
Payback is on Tzi's mind, but as the interview comes to an end, he emphasises that there is also too much pressure on Asian-led projects to succeed.
"We should be afforded the opportunity to fail. Every time out, we have to hit a home run," he says. "That's another hurdle that we have to face. The multitude of voices is what we need. Quality is not all of it. Quantity is important, too. If other actors get a chance to grow, why can't we?"
Mulan will premiere exclusively to Disney+ subscribers in selected countries on Friday, September 4. Premier Access to the movie is priced at £19.99 in the UK and $29.99 in the US.
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Disney Classics Complete Collection
Encanto
Raya and the Last Dragon
Mulan (2020)
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Aladdin (2019)
Mary Poppins Returns
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Disney Princess Complete Collection Box set [DVD] [2019]
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