Sarah Bernard
posted in Celebrities
Lucy Liu is known for playing strong sassy characters but reprising her roll as the ribbon-dancing Master Viper in Kung Fu Panda 3 has a special significance. It's the first time she's playing (or voicing) the member of the Furious Five as a mom.
Last August, Lucy, 47, welcomed her son, Rockwell Lloyd, via gestational surrogate and she notes there's something different about making an animated film when you know that in a few years time, one of the many little ones who will get to experience it will be your own.
"It's going to be for him way in the future," she says, "And I love the idea that this is the legacy that you leave behind. And it's not about you being a part of it, because that's going to be sort of just a blur. It's just going to be the entertainment value, the created laughter that they're going to have, the enjoyment of sharing that."
The film's subject matter also has particular resonance. In this installment Po (Jack Black) is surprised when his long lost Panda father (Bryan Cranston) suddenly reappears to the dismay of the noodle-shop owning goose who raised him. In doing so the film gently raises the question of how one defines family.
"What does that mean? Is it your genetic family? Is it the person that brought you up or the person who really looks like you?" says Liu. "It's not about that. It's a shared effort. It's a shared community."
The film is still as hilarious and adorable and action-packed as the first two in the series but it does have an added layer of meaning that Liu appreciates, perhaps because her own non-traditional nuclear family. "It's a hard thing to kind of balance oftentimes, especially in something that you want to bring value. And you want families to go and see the movie without being sort of like, "What did that mean?" "I don't understand that." And bring up the idea of adoption. I love that. I don't think most movies will talk about that."
I was one of a few bloggers who was lucky enough to talk to Lucy about her new roles -- on screen and off -- and she sounded like such an impressively calm, centered and relaxed new mom.
"It's such a wonderful feeling of getting to know somebody, really. And that's what it is for me," says Lucy of new mommyhood. "You're developing a relationship and understanding what the different squeaks are. And it's just so nice. I love that. I think there's a communication going on way before words come out."
Kung Fu Panda 3 hits theaters January 29th. Until then, take a peek at the trailer below and enter to win a Pandalicious family day with Kung Fu Panda 3!
One lucky BabyCenter reader is going to win a $150 Visa Gift Card and a Kung Fu Panda 3 headband and chopsticks so you can treat your family to lunch and a movie. Just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget by January 22, 2015 at 11:59 pm. Please note that you MUST leave a comment here on the blog post as a part of your entry. Your entry will be disqualified if you do not follow this step in addition to filling out the widget.
Photos courtesy of DreamWorks Animation
No comments:
Post a Comment