Exclusive Interview: Tzi Ma Chats Kung Fu Season 2, How the Series is Not a Reboot but a Reclaiming, and More

Tzi Ma needs no introduction. For over four decades, he’s blazed a trail in Hollywood with the diverse characters he’s brought to life on the stage and screen. Celebrated for his versatility, Tzi has starred in projects including Rush Hour, Martial Law, 24, American Dad!, and The Man in the High Castle. Currently, he can be seen in the CW’s Kung Fu.

Adapted from the popular ’70s series, Kung Fu follows a young Chinese-American woman, Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang), whose quarter-life crisis causes her to drop out of school and make a life-changing journey to a monastery in China. When she makes her return home, she discovers that her town has been overrun with corruption. Nicky must rely on her community as well as her martial arts skills to protect those she cares about the most and seek justice for those who are unable to. Tzi shines as Nicky’s father Jin who will do anything for his family and community.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Tzi about Kung Fu Season 2, how the series is not a reboot but a reclaiming, and more!

PC: Your character Jin always puts his family and community before himself. In Season 1, one of his major plotlines was the family’s struggling business. But in Season 2, Harmony Dumplings is thriving, which gives Jin the opportunity to reconnect with his first love, which is the arts. How did that shift affect the way that you approached this character? What can you tease about his arc for the remainder of Season 2?
Tzi: I see him moving back into Chinatown and committing himself to revitalize it. This is a true situation—that Chinatowns all over America are struggling for various reasons. I’m happy that we’re talking about this. It was something that showrunner Christina M. Kim planned. She’s always seen Jin as a community guy and part of the arts. It ties into the mythology of the show because his story is in restoration architecture. So, you’re talking about the study of integrity.

PC: You’ve talked in the past about how the original Kung Fu was one of the only opportunities for Asian actors to be seen. This industry has made slow strides towards greater representation. As an actor who has built an illustrious career in this industry, when did you start to notice that shift?
Tzi: It started with the Oscars So White and the Me Too movements. All of that contributed to the attention that’s being paid to what we’re doing now in terms of diversity and representation. That was the tipping point where the powers that be were looking at what we can do as a business.

On top of that, it’s a global business now, particularly with so many streaming entities entering our industry. It started with Netflix. They felt their subscriptions based in the U.S. starting to saturate, so they had to expand. In order to do that, they had to find data that shows diversity sells. It would be wise for everybody to go that way and explore inclusion and diversity.

There’s been this new development of writers—writers of color and women. They’re coming up with fantastic stories. Christina M. Kim is one of them and Bob Berens, who is the co-showrunner. They have excellent, excellent, excellent knowledge of who we are.

PC: You’ve also said in the past that as a person of color, you have an added responsibility when choosing the projects that you want to be a part of, and often we see these stereotypical depictions and tropes of various communities and cultures. What has it meant to you to be a part of a project like this that is rewriting this narrative in such an impactful way?
Tzi: Everybody calls this show a reboot; I call it a reclaiming. I couldn’t ask for a better scenario. We’re not only reclaiming martial arts, we’re also reclaiming the fact that the hero is a young Asian American woman. The cheongsam, which is a traditional Chinese women’s gown—we’re reclaiming that too! You see our characters wear it. Also, the male version called changshan. My character wears that. We’re reclaiming that in our show as well.

PC: Jin has so many vulnerable moments within this series, from his conversation with his son about coming out to sharing with Nicky that he found her in China but knew that that’s where she needed to be. As an actor, how do you create the space for yourself to dive into those particular moments and scenes?
Tzi: I’ll tell you that these are the gems that all actors hope that we’re lucky enough to have written for us. We’re able to take hold of these gems and polish them and make them shine. We have this father of Asian descent who is so supportive, particularly with the girls. That is a kind of breakthrough that hopefully will help us hold up a mirror to ourselves and lead us to say, “We’ve been lacking in that area. We need to start to step up to the plate.” That’s a powerful, powerful message that we’re sending. He has this pure love for his children, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

PC: Jin and his wife Mei-Li are constantly sharing the lessons that they’ve learned in life with their children in the hopes that they don’t make the same mistakes. You’ve shared that this cast has taught you a lot. What’s been the biggest lesson they’ve bestowed upon you? What wisdom have you shared with them?
Tzi: They’ve shared their enthusiasm and their passion. I’ve been in this business for how many years? A lot of times, we settle into a particular comfort zone. I get to see these actors who are so committed. I appreciate their energy. They’re my peers. I’ve never put myself in a position where I am senior to them. I may be senior in age, but I see them all as equals. [laughs]

PC: You got your start in theater where you’re telling one specific story. You know where your character’s storyline is going, but on Kung Fu you’ve been learning more and more about Jin with each episode. How has that changed the way that you’ve approached and developed this character? Has anything surprised you about Jin’s journey thus far?
Tzi: With Jin, we created a backstory. We weren’t sure how it was going to manifest itself in the show. All of that is left in the hands of the showrunners. Theater is different. When you get your play, it’s a complete package. There’s no guesswork. You discover what you discover through rehearsal.

In television, every week we get a new script and we learn what’s happening. By the time that we get settled down, we’re ready to do another readthrough. That’s a major difference between the two mediums.

However, coming from a theater background, I really understand the beginning, middle, and end of the development of the character and their arc more clearly than I would have if I hadn’t done theater. That’s always helped me. That will never change.

PC: You and the cast are in such a unique position where you get to see the fan response in real time through social media. They’ve expressed how much the series has meant to them and made them feel seen. What has that experience been like for you getting to see that support?
Tzi: Using social media is difficult. [laughs] The cast are the ones who are good about it. They’re so good. They have my back. I’ll tell you when I started I was like, “Huh? What am I doing now? What is this behind the scenes?” I had no idea what they were talking about. I’m telling you, without them, I’m lost. When you have a young cast around you, they’re so familiar with social media. I put the quotes and captions together, but I’m not the one posting it. I wish it was me. [laughs]

PC: Kung Fu has already been picked up for a third season. Congratulations by the way. Where would you like to see Jin’s storyline head in the future? Is there a character that you would love to see him interact more with in Season 3?
Tzi: I really want to see these two storylines cross. I would welcome that. I would love to see him use his knowledge of antiquities with the mythology of the show where the children are coming to him and saying, “Dad, this is something we need your help on. You can help us.” That’ll rekindle his passion and love for art.

There was one episode where we talked about these original grocers in Chinatown and how they were two families that were always fighting with each other. Somehow, we forgot about them. I’d like to see them bring that back.

With the art collective, I would love to see them inhabit our space and see what insight they might have because they’ve been around forever. It’s always this multi-generational thing where we can tap into the knowledge of our elders to help us. As we know, we need to know our past to have a present and without the present, we have no future.

To keep up with Tzi, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch new episodes of Kung Fu every Wednesday at 9/8c on the CW.

Photo Credit: Diana Ragland