It’s a truly Asian American franchise, but until now, no Asian actor had played the titular role. Over four decades after its debut, the Karate Kid series returns with “Karate Kid: Legends,” starring Ben Wang (“American Born Chinese”) as Li Fong — the first Asian Karate Kid. The film brings together Jackie Chan, who led the Karate Kid reprise with Jaden Smith in 2010, and Ralph Macchio, the OG Karate Kid, for the first time, alongside Ming-Na Wen as Li’s mother, Dr. Fong.
Wen, whose career spans iconic roles in “The Joy Luck Club,” “Mulan,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” and “The Mandalorian,” brings intention and emotional depth to the role — and made it clear from the start that Dr. Fong would not be a “Tiger Mom.”
“I wanted to make sure that she was still grounded,” she says. “There was definitely a serious issue with having lost a family member and making sure that she has dignity and not just as a caricature of this typical Asian Tiger Mom. I wanted to really make sure that she comes across as someone who is wanting to protect her child and guide him and not just be domineering and controlling.”
It’s a portrayal that joins a growing list of complex Asian moms on screen — from the multiverse-traveling Evelyn Wang in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” to the overbearing-yet-loving Ming Lee in “Turning Red.” Wen’s Dr. Fong represents a newer generation of Asian motherhood in media: compassionate and deeply human.
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In developing the character with director Jonathan Entwistle, Wen was insistent on portraying Dr. Fong as contemporary and worldly — not defined by immigrant struggle or linguistic difference.
“My mother-in-law and father-in-law speak perfect English because they came to America to go to college out here and learned English very early, and that’s a generation before me,” Wen shares. “So with Dr. Fong, she is…
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