After months of delays, the release of Disney’s live-action remake of “Mulan” has delighted some fans of the 1998 animated movie, which is loosely based on a Chinese folk tale and its fierce heroine.
But it has left others deeply divided after the actress playing Mulan, Liu Yifei, voiced support in August 2019 for China’s crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
The live-action remake’s Friday arrival on the streaming platform has reignited a controversy surrounding its star heroine, Yifei Liu, who drew sharp criticism last year after showing support for the Hong Kong police. Six months after the movie was originally set to hit theaters, social media users haven’t forgotten the Chinese American actress’ divisive remarks.
“This film is released today,” tweeted Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong. “But because Disney kowtows to Beijing, and because Liu Yifei openly and proudly endorses police brutality in Hong Kong, I urge everyone who believes in human rights to #BoycottMulan.”
Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong are calling on people to #BoycottMulan, after the film's lead actor expressed support for Hong Kong's police.
Activists accuse police of using excessive force in response to ongoing protests calling for the territory's autonomy from China. pic.twitter.com/benqYnFdyn
— AJ+ (@ajplus) September 4, 2020
The #BoycottMulan hashtag first started trending in August of 2019 after Liu publicly sided with Hong Kong authorities, who have been widely criticized for using excessive force against pro-democracy protesters resisting the mainland Chinese government.
On the Chinese social media site Weibo, Liu shared the now infamous words of Fu Guohao, a reporter for the Communist Party-run Global Times: “I support the Hong Kong police. You can beat me up now.” In a follow-up post, Liu confirmed her stance, writing, “I also support the Hong Kong police.”
Since her initial Weibo posts sparked a backlash, the #BoycottMulan hashtag has followed Liu and the highly anticipated Disney film from the first trailer to the world premierein March — and now its digital debut.
Jason T. Reed, a “Mulan” producer and former Disney executive, expressed his support for Liu Yifei — a Chinese-born actress who plays the titular role — during an interview with Yahoo Finance’s The Final Round on Friday.
“Well, I think that first off, it’s a very complicated situation for performers who live in China and work in China. Obviously, the tensions between the two entities is very complicated,” said Reed, referring to relations between China and Hong Kong, which led to ongoing demonstrations and accusations of police brutality against pro-democracy protesters.
“I’m not qualified to discuss that in depth. I’m here to represent the film,” he added. “But I will say from a very personal place, no one worked harder and gave more of themselves than Yifei did. She trained for six months prior to starting production — horse riding, martial arts, practicing creating that character.”
“She worked every single day of the schedule. So I feel badly for her, that the conversation is inevitably, it inevitably turns to this and I hope that when audiences see the movie that the conversation turns back to what an amazing performance she brought in and how hard, how much she had to do in order to bring that character to life,” he added.
Mulan is available to stream on Disney Plus, for $29.99. Beginning on December 4th, Disney Plus subscribers will be able to stream it for free.
