As Lucy Liu prepares for the theatrical release of her long-gestating passion project Rosemead, the actress reflected on the difficult journey that led to her first dramatic leading role over a 30-year career.
The film is Liu’s first project as both producer and lead actress, which she notes is practically inconceivable for someone who’s been in the business as long as she has in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“We got it made after many, many years — 16 different investors,” Liu told the outlet about the Eric Lin-directed indie in which she plays a Chinese immigrant struggling in the wake of her son’s schizophrenia diagnosis. “But even after we made the movie, it was like, ‘Does anyone want to distribute it?’ Everyone’s like, ‘How is it going to fuel us? What’s our kickback?’ It does come down to finances.”
Michael Parmelee/CBS
That reflected a lot of the conversations Liu has had throughout her career, which includes action franchises such as Charlie’s Angels and Kill Bill, as well as award-winning work on TV series like Ally McBeal and Elementary. Liu admitted that although she was grateful to “fall into” mainstream fame with those roles, she described them as “side-salad roles.”
“They’re not necessarily roles that would challenge me or tap into my potential,” the mother of one explained. “They said [Rosemead] would not have been made if it weren’t for me. But also at the same time, when I’m not doing what I’ve been tailor made for — action or other things that they’re used to seeing me do — maybe it’s not as shiny. If it was this big action and had all the heroics, it would be more (marketable). It’s like a commodity.”
The 56-year-old was unrepentantly candid as she addressed how the biases in Hollywood made it harder for her as she grew in the industry. Liu remembered being called out for perpetuating “Dragon Lady” stereotypes after playing a warrior in 2003’s Kill Bill, asking why none of the other actresses faced a similar critique.
Miramax/courtesy Everett
“Why isn’t anyone else perpetuating the stereotype when we’re all assassins?” she asked. “Vivica Fox or Daryl Hannah or Uma Thurman were not. I don’t even know if they have a word in English for American people. Well, I’m American, but I look like this, so I cannot get away from it.”
She continued, “Other characters that are strong, that are not Asian, are not Dragon ladies. They are strong lawyers or politicians or mothers or doctors. But if I’m a doctor, then I’m going to be categorized as a super smart, nerdy Asian woman. I can’t get away from it because it’s trailing me because they want to label me.”
Liu attributed the “strange lull” after the success of her action movies and her run on Ally McBeal to the stubborn “marketable” mindset that reigned in Hollywood when it came to hiring actors of color.
“I remember being like, ‘Why isn’t there more happening?'” she told THR. “I didn’t want to participate in anything where I felt like they weren’t even taking me seriously. How am I being given these offers that are less than when I started in this business? It was a sign of disrespect to me, and I didn’t really want that. I didn’t want to acquiesce to that.”
She continued, “I haven’t gone out and changed my face; there’s only so much I can do. I cannot turn myself into somebody who looks Caucasian, but if I could, I would’ve had so many more opportunities.”
In light of her experiences, Liu called the opportunity to portray Rosemead‘s Irene a “touchstone” that has “always been in there.” Her performance has already earned multiple festival awards since the film’s premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Vertical Entertainment /Courtesy Everett
“I just haven’t had any opportunities to tap into it,” she said of her performance. “I mean, to think that I’ve been in this business for over 30 years and now have the first leading role like this is kind of crazy. I did not know that until somebody pointed it out on the team. I’ve never really looked at myself in that way.”
She added, “I think it says a lot about diversity, or what you said earlier about marketability — what’s going to sell and what they see as selling. We’re products, like what they believe is going to sell — it’s a science. I don’t work from a place of deficit, but I see where they will place me. I’m coming from a place of strength, but I also know where they’re trying to put me.”
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Rosemead, costarring Lawrence Shou, Orion Lee, Jennifer Lim, Madison Hu, and James Chen, is in theaters Dec. 5.