Ming-Na Wen Reacts To Live Action 'Mulan' Casting

Last week, Disney announced that it had cast Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu, [...]

By Jamie Lovett

Last week, Disney announced that it had cast Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu, in the lead role for its live-action adaptation of Mulan.

It didn't take long for Agents of SHIELD star Ming-Na Wen, who voiced Mulan in the original 1998 movie, to react to the casting and she seems pretty excited.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Wen said during her panel at Heroes and Villains Fest San Jose. "And she's perfect for it. I'm so excited. And she's Chinese! Thank you!"

As for what advice she'd offer Liu, Wen kept it simple and direct.

"Just don't eff it up," Wen offered. "But I'd like to think that the animation Mulan still holds a special place in people's hearts, you know? Me and Lea Solanga [Mulan's singing voice] creating this beautiful image with the animators and Disney back in the day, before even CGI was a big thing. It was one of the first CGI animations. I'm very proud of the continued legacy. I hope that they do it justice."

Wen was quick to show her support for the actress.

"I immediately congratulated her on Twitter because I always want to support anyone who is Asian and in the business, first of all, and a woman, or any minority woman, but definitely for me it was such a relief," Wen said. "I think she's really, really just perfect for that part and Disney did a really great job. I think this morning, I just saw it recently, that she tweeted me back, so I look forward to meeting her. I think its fantastic."

Finally, is there a chance fans could see Ming-Na Wen make an appearance in the live-action Mulan movie?

"I don't know yet," Wen said. "I don't have an answer for you for that, but you know, it'd be lovely. We probably need to put pressure on Disney."

Mulan is currently projected for release in 2019.

Wen continues to play Agent Melinda May on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET ABC.

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