Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Kung Fu’s Yvonne Chapman

Yvonne Chapman is making quite the name for herself with her breakout performance as Zhilan 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 crime and corruption, and her parents are at the mercy of a powerful Triad. Nicky must rely on her community as well as her martial arts skills to protect those she cares about the most and seek justice.

One of the people standing in Nicky’s way is Yvonne’s character, Zhilan, a trained assassin who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Yvonne about Kung Fu, the importance of representation in mainstream media, and making the transition from finance to acting.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Yvonne: I was drawn to it when I was really, really young, probably before I was ten. I was always playing make-believe in my room. I just love storytelling. I love drawing. I love all that stuff. But I was incredibly introverted. I was a very, very shy child. So, I really kept it to myself for a long time. But then you get older, you get a little bit bolder, and it eventually came to a precipice where I was like, “All right. I’m either going to do this or I’m not.” I don’t know what exactly triggered it. But I said, “I really have to go for this because it’s something that I’ve been dying to do. It’s always been in the peripheral in the back of my mind.” I’m grateful that I gave it a shot.

PC: You were pursuing a career in finance before you made the decision to pursue a career as an actor. How challenging was that decision?
Yvonne: It was, and it wasn’t. The benefit of me starting later in life was helpful because I knew that I could do something else, but I chose to do this. I could have, arguably, had an easier time if I stayed in finance, but I chose to do this. Personally, knowing that I could have a different path in life but still really, really wanted to go for this, it made the decision a lot easier. It didn’t make the journey easier, but it made the decision to do this every single day a lot easier. That was my path, and thankfully, it worked out for me.

PC: Speaking of your journey, when you look at your career as a whole, who or what has had the biggest influence, either personally or professionally?
Yvonne: That’s a really good question. I’m really thankful for these interviews—they make you think of all these influences in your life. My grandmother is in her 90s, and she’s still a classical opera singer. She was somebody very close to me who worked in the arts and had success in it. I grew up seeing her perform and seeing her be pretty fearless with all of this in the face of whatever adversity she had to deal with. I didn’t realize it at the time, but having that example in front of me has been really helpful. It’s been helpful to know that it can be done and that you can pursue this as a living.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success in your young career. When you look back, is there a moment that stands out to you?
Yvonne: For me, it’s the classic iceberg model. When I booked my first series regular role with Street Legal at CBC, that was a huge moment for me. I had come so close so many times before that, but nobody sees that. It was such a nice big payoff for me to be like, “Oh my God. I finally get to do the thing as opposed to auditioning like crazy and being so, so close.” That, for me, was a moment of satisfaction. I was going to get to act.

PC: During these more challenging times, how are you able to continue to persevere?
Yvonne: It goes back to what I was mentioning before—I like what I did before in finance. I actually enjoyed my job, but I love this. I absolutely love it. Knowing that I can do something else really gives me the determination to be like, “But I love this. This is what I really, really want to get good at, and what I feel like really provides.” It provides something different for me that finance never could. No matter what you work in, you’re going to face rejection. There are going to be hard times, so you have to enjoy what you do. I really enjoy what I do.

Kung Fu

PC: Speaking of enjoying what you do, you’re one of the stars of Kung Fu, and this series has been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Yvonne: What I love about our show is that there’s this multi-generational dynamic where you have different kinds of families, and then you also have different ages and generations. Everybody is satisfied to see that because it’s important to see those dynamics between people. Personally, especially with the Shen family, I look at the level of detail and care that the showrunners and the creatives have put into it, fairly and equitably showing that representation of an Asian family.

It really speaks to me. It speaks to my family. We giggle a lot about it on set. It’s like, “Oh, my mom does that. My dad does that.” Having that relatability and seeing yourself on screen is so special and bridges gaps of communication. You don’t even have to be an Asian American or Asian Canadian to enjoy and understand this show; it transcends beyond that. It’s like you could see yourself in everybody, no matter what your background is. That’s what’s really special about it.

PC: You’ve said in previous interviews that growing up you didn’t see yourself represented in mainstream media. What has it meant to you to know that current and future generations won’t have to experience that because of shows like Kung Fu?
Yvonne: It means a lot. When I think back on it, I always related to heroes, but I never had someone who looked like me. Media has this incredible power to help formulate our ideas about people, our understanding of people, and having a show like Kung Fu—and hopefully many more to come—will reverse any adverse impacts or influences that people might have when it comes to racial and gender biases that we sometimes do see in television. To know that we’re working towards mitigating that—and while we’re not the solution; we’re part of it—is really, really special. It’s a powerful tool for people to shape their perceptions of the world.

PC: Great answer. When describing your character, you’ve often said she’s the hero in her own story. How did that outlook shape the way that you approached her?
Yvonne: I can’t play anybody that I don’t like; I have to love her. But what I love about that approach is she’s very morally ambiguous, so to speak. It’s really challenging and really fun to be able to see the world through that lens, something so far removed from my own. It opens up another way of understanding people in general, because she has her reasons. While her reasons are actually somewhat arguably meaningful, it’s the way that she goes about getting what she wants…not so much. It’s really interesting for me as an actor to try to wrap my head around that because it’s not like these people don’t exist.

PC: We’re halfway through season one, what’s ahead for your character? What can you tease?
Yvonne: What can I tease? You’ll see a lot more fighting. The fight scenes just get better and better. I’m really excited for audiences to see the fight sequences coming up. You’ll also see her develop different kinds of relationships. You’ll see a completely different side of Zhilan coming up. You’ll have to stay tuned and watch!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Yvonne: Family Guy.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Yvonne: Step Brothers.

PC: Favorite book?
Yvonne: The Red Rising series.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Yvonne: Lion King.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Yvonne: I have a lot of Childish Gambino on my playlist. I don’t know if that’s surprising though. I have a lot of hit ’80s songs. That’s well before my time, but I resonate with them. I have a lot of Queen.

PC: Dream role?
Yvonne: Besides this one? Zhilan is so different from me, which is fantastic. I love stepping into different kinds of skins, as weird as that sounds. It’s more fun for me the more removed I am. Having said that, I would love to play someone that’s really close to me, because I haven’t played that yet. It’s interesting to see if there’s a character where I’m like, “Wow. She’s exactly like me.” I haven’t had that yet.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Yvonne: In a biopic? A cast mate of mine asked me this before. She told me that a Muppet would be really good for me. [laughs] Apparently, I have this Muppet energy, like on Sesame Street where they go around and get lost in the city. I have zero sense of direction. I could totally see that.

To keep up with Yvonne, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Kung Fu on the CW.

Photo Credit: Britta Kokemor