Avatar: The Last Airbender established quite a few bending, and non-bending, characters in both its original three animated seasons, as well as the sequel series, The Legend of Korra. While not featured nearly as much as Aang and his friends, there has been one character specifically that has become a cult favorite among fans thanks to their influence on the franchise and beyond. It would seem that this influence translated to the filming of Netflix’s live-action adaptation, as revealed by showrunner Albert Kim.
The Cabbage Merchant has long been a hilarious character in the history of Avatar: The Last Airbender. While not having an impact on the war against the Fire Nation, the cabbage-slinging seller would routinely find himself becoming a part of Aang’s journey, normally resulting in the Cabbage Merchant’s wares being destroyed. In the upcoming live-action adaptation, the voice actor who brought the merchant to life, James Sie, is reprising his role.
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The Cabbage Merchant Returns
Kim had the following to say when it came to Sie reprising his role in a brand new way, “I’ve got to say, we had a lot of big names. He was probably the biggest celebrity we had on set. Everyone wanted to take a selfie with James, especially when he got into his costume, myself included.”
The Avatar showrunner then detailed how the decision was made for James Sie to join the cast, “When we were talking about that role, and we knew we were going to do that role, we were tossing out some names. One of the things I said was, ‘Why not go back to the original? Why not get James involved?’ So I reached out to him, and he was absolutely thrilled with the idea that he couldn’t wait to do it.”
Kim then revealed that the cast was so enthusiastic about Sie’s time on set, that many people involved with the creation of the show were wearing Cabbage Merchant apparel. The showrunner also detailed how they filmed the now legendary character, “Of course we had him do his iconic ‘My cabbages’ line several times in several different ways. We did sweeping, dramatic shots from overhead and close-ups, and we covered his line as much as anyone’s. So that was a fun day.”
Do you think that Netflix’s take on the benders arriving this week will live up to its source material? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of bending.
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