Bringing out this interview with Ming-Na Wen from the archives in preparation for the 2020 release of Mulan on Disney+.
Filmed at the Entertainment Weekly 2018 Comic-Con Bash. Little did I know at the time how relevant her answer about Star Wars would be. Her episode of The Mandalorian was somehow one of my favorites but simultaneously least favorite. This is not due to her, but I digress.
Spent time interviewing a lot of exciting figures that evening, I think I was the most excited for Ming-Na Wen. I have extremely complicated feelings on Mulan (both the live action and animated versions). However I’m incredibly appreciative of her contributions to representation.
See my interview with 2020 Mulan director Niki Caro.
More about Ming-Na Wen:
Ming-Na (“enlightenment”) is Chinese-American, immigrating with her mom Lin and older brother Jonathan from Hong Kong to America when she was 6 years old. She spent her formative years in Queens, New York where she first learned to speak English. When her mother remarried, they moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her step-father was an amazing chef and owned the restaurant “The Chinatown Inn.” Working in her family’s restaurant sparked a lifelong love of food and cooking. Her mother was also a nurse in China and Ming-Na learned many valuable lessons about health, medicine and balance of mind and body.
From WenEver by Ming-Na Wen