Encanto star Stephanie Beatriz says that she wants to be an action star after seeing Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The actress spoke to Variety about her path after the Disney smash-hit. Households all over the world are still settling in for the 1,000,000th time hearing “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” But, Beatriz could see herself making moves in other genres outside of the delightful color-palettes of animation. She told the outlet that seeing Shang-Chi really opened her eyes when it came to representation. Simu Liu’s turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended up being a wonderful moment for Destin Daniel Cretton and the entire crew who were very proud of the Asian American imprint on the movie. The actress would like to do something similar in the future.
“I’m really interested in learning how to be an action star,” she began. “I think it’s such an incredible mix of things that you can do.” In praising the Shang-Chi star, she called him, “incredibly hilarious,” but also mentioned, “What he’s able to do on film as an action star, it has really raised the bar.”
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“There’s a lot of really cool stuff that’s getting made, and not only in the more well-known worlds like Marvel and DC,” Beatriz said. “There’s also these smaller comic worlds that are being built particularly by artists and creators of color, and they’re creating their own superheroes from the ground up. That’s really cool too, because people are ready to hear those stories.”
“I started my career in theater,” she recalled. “One of the actresses that I worked with is named Vilma Silva. She’s a brilliant actress, but not particularly well known outside of Shakespeare or classical theater. But she was one of the first people who told me, ‘Of course, this industry is for you. Why wouldn’t it be?’ And it was one of the first times that I really heard someone say that to me… because up until that point, I hadn’t seen a lot of us in television or on film. The representation is so low.”
Here’s how Disney describes Encanto: “The Madrigals are an extraordinary family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift — every child except Mirabel. However, she soon may be the Madrigals last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger.”
What action franchise do you think she would be good in? Let us know down in the comments!
