Liu Yifei's male disguise for 'Mulan' was so convincing that other cast members didn't recognize her
- In an interview with AsiaOne, "Mulan" actress Liu Yifei said that the male disguise her character wears in the film was so convincing that her own cast mates didn't recognize her on set.
- Mulan disguises herself as a man in order to enlist in the imperial army in place of her father, and pretends to be a man for much of the story.
- Yifei said: "One day, we were working and we were all dressed in costume and an actor patted my shoulder, and asked me a question. But when I turned around, he realised it was me and not the guy he wanted to address."
- Yifei also said that enjoyed playing a heroic character, but that the complexity of Mulan is what made the character "beautiful."
Liu Yifei said that the male disguise she wore while playing Mulan in Disney's live-action remake was so convincing that even her castmates didn't recognise her.
In an interview with AsiaOne on August 31, Yifei said that her own experience resonated with that of her character. Mulan disguises herself as a man in order to enlist in the imperial army in place of her father. The costume Yifei wore for this, created by the film's costume designer, Bina Daigeler, clearly did the job well.
"I felt like I am a man because I fit in so well. One day, we were working and we were all dressed in costume and an actor patted my shoulder, and asked me a question. But when I turned around, he realised it was me and not the guy he wanted to address," Yifei told AsiaOne.
"He was so surprised and apologetic. So when you're surrounded by men, you feel like they're your buddies. They don't treat me like a girl. I'm just one of the guys to them."
Yifei is best known for her work in Chinese movies, though western audiences may have seen her in films such as "The Forbidden Kingdom" and "Ip Man 3." In "The Forbidden Kingdom," Yifei costarred with Jackie Chan and Jet Li, who plays the Emperor in this live-action update of "Mulan."
Yifei noted that in that film, Li was the one saving her, whereas in "Mulan," she is the one saving him. Yifei discussed taking on such a heroic role with AsiaOne, but said that it was Mulan's complexity that makes her such a "beautiful" character to play.
"We see many sides of her, beyond the Ballad of Mulan. We see her as a human being, as a girl, as a young woman. Everybody admires her as a warrior but is there a fragile side to her? Will she sometimes hesitate or be afraid, but still choose to carry on? Yes, and we see that," Yifei said.
"Mulan" was originally scheduled for release on March 27 after a world premiere on March 9. That released date was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The film's release was altogether cancelled on August 4 in favour of a release on Disney Plus. The film will be made available on Disney's streaming service for free on December 4, but viewers can pay $29.99 to see it early from September 4 up until November 2.
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