Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Mulan’s Chen Tang

Actor Chen Tang lives for the moments when he can disappear into his character and bring that their truth alive on the screen. He’ll next be seen stepping into the shoes of combative recruit Yao in Disney’s Mulan, a role and project that means a great deal not only to Chen but to a community that wants to see themselves represented. Pop Culturalist caught up with Chen to celebrate the release of Mulan.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Chen: I came into this thing relatively later. I was nineteen and in college studying business and we had to take a fine arts requirement. I took an acting class, since I figured it’d be an easy A. Turns out it’s pretty challenging! But the professor actually said to me one day, “You know you’re pretty good at this! Why don’t you audition for one of our shows?” So I decided, “Why not?” and then just tried it.

I was lucky enough to get cast in a musical, and it was the first time I was on stage in front of an audience. But I just remember the whole time through rehearsals feeling this eerie calm—no stage jitters—and having fun playing with really interesting, fun people.

I was like, “People get paid money to do this? That’s awesome!” When I started performing, it just felt so joyful. That continual joyful feeling led to me waking up one day in my dorm, looking at the ceiling and saying, “I’m going to do it. I’m going to be a professional actor.”

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Chen: For me, the biggest thing has to be my international upbringing. I spent most of my childhood moving and relocating to so many vastly different places and cultures and meeting so many different types of people.

I moved from the deep south of China to the Deep South of America—Memphis—and that really just forced me to adapt, and now I feel that I can flow into a different life like second nature. It definitely helps with my work, since I think the biggest goal for me in working on a role is to try to live in a character’s skin for a while.

PC: You’ve had tons of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Chen: Oh, there are so many. But I think it’s the little ones that actually have the most weight in our memories.

One of the moments I’m really proud of was when I was just auditioning for a small role in this Amazon show called Bosch. I was supposed to play this sort of rich poker-king kid from Shanghai who had ties with some shady triad guys. I remember the whole process because it was probably the first time I decided to dive in and just live like this guy for a while—just for the joy of experiencing a different life, you know?

I remember learning how to play poker—in Chinese no less—and going to the Commerce Casino here in LA for days on end, just watching people: how they played, how they sat, how they behaved, how they dressed even. Just being inspired to make that a part of my own life. I remember one night I sat there and played super-low-stakes poker for like twelve hours as inspiration. In the end, I just felt like this was my life, and that’s how I walked into the room. But I’m proudest because this was just for an audition, but that whole process reminded me of why I love what I do. It didn’t even matter I wasn’t guaranteed the role, it was all about fully inhabiting. It was from that moment on I started working like that for all of my stuff. In the end, I did indeed get the part!

Mulan

PC: You’re starring in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Mulan. Tell us about the film, your character, and what attracted you to this project.
Chen: Our Mulan is an epic reimagining of the cartoon, inspired by the ancient Chinese ballad. It draws from a ton of the 1998 cartoon, but it’s such a grounded, emotionally truthful live-action version.

We’re so excited to share this beautiful film with the world. I play Yao, one of the soldier-buddy trio from the cartoon, and I’m a rough, gruff machismo-filled recruit who’s a total bully to everybody because he thinks that’s the way a man is supposed to be.

Eventually, the squad ends up leaning on each other and becoming close. Obviously I was attracted to this film, since it’s my culture and history! To be a part of Disney magic and to have a studio of that caliber throw themselves behind one of our classic legends, that’s an incredible honor.

PC: This is a reimagining of the character Yao. How does he differ from the animated version? Did that change your preparation?
Chen: Well, I’m taller for one. [laughs] When I got the role, a lot of people asked me, “How the heck are you gonna play a short, stubby middle-aged dude?” I obviously decided straight out that I can’t change my height, and I’m not an older guy, so I wanted to think about what “The King of the Rock” was like when he’s a young guy just starting out from the mountains of China.

I was hugely inspired by Harvey Fierstein’s animated performance, and I brought all the essence of the animated version into it. I had the image of a gruff bulldog throwing his weight around all the time. And as I went along, something just starts to naturally happen for me in that it changes my physicality and look and feel spontaneously. So I think you’ll still see that same essence of the cartoon in my live-action Yao. Most importantly of course, I grew facial hair. The key is always facial hair. [laughs]

PC: There are a lot of eyes and high expectations for this live-action adaptation. Was that in the back of your mind as you filmed? Did that add extra pressure?
Chen: Honestly, most of the time not really. Our director, Niki Caro, was really adamant about keeping us in this little creative bubble where you’re just in the world, and so we were sheltered from so much of the chaos going on around us, which is a good thing, since thinking about all that doesn’t help.

It also helped that we were in New Zealand, where you’re literally on the ends of the earth. In those circumstances, you’d be surprised how quickly you start to just believe that these are just our normal lives, going to camp and being in this field with soldiers surrounded by mountains. Even the living situation felt like that all the time, since we were all housed in the same place together for half a year. It was a blessing, really, because I don’t think I could have done it if I was thinking about all the eyeballs on me.

PC: What do you hope audiences walk away with?
Chen: I just hope the audience enjoys the film and appreciates the beauty of one of my people’s stories. It is a gorgeous, incredibly moving, beautifully shot story. Full stop.

PC: The release of the film has been delayed a few times due to COVID-19. How does it feel to know it’s finally coming out?
Chen: It’s surreal. It’s been two whole years since we first went down there to New Zealand! I’m so excited to finally share this thing with the world. Of course, I would have loved it to be shown in cinemas here in North America, but only because of the scale and size of the film we shot. It’s something else entirely when you see it on that huge screen. But with that being said, I want people to see it however they see it. This is an important film for me personally, but also because it’s an important one for representation for Asians in media. I hope this thing goes far and wide.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Chen: Game of Thrones and Rick and Morty.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Chen: Predator! The only one that exists, and that’s the one with the “Governator.”

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Chen: Othello and M. Butterfly.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Chen: Florida Georgia Line. Yes, I am from the Deep South and I love country music.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Chen: God, I hope they don’t make a biopic of me. That means Hollywood is officially out of ideas!

To keep up with Chen, follow him on Instagram. Catch Mulan on Disney+ today.

Photo Credit: Ryan West Photos