The CW's Kung Fu is set to debut amidst a rising number of hate crimes targeting Asians in the U.S. For series lead Olivia Liang, the show's premiere is "eerily" and unexpectedly timed.
"I think sometimes it feels silly to make a blanket statement and say, 'Representation of Asians in media is important,' because, at face value, you're like, 'What is being on TV going to do to change the situation?' But media really does shape our world and shape the narrative, and Hollywood has kind of failed us in a lot of ways in representing us," Liang told CBR.
In Kung Fu, Liang portrays protagonist Nicky Shen returning to defend her home in San Francisco's Chinatown from an escalating crime wave. "With Kung Fu, I'm just excited that we get to humanize the Asian-Americans and hopefully be in some homes that we would have otherwise never been able to reach," the Legacies star said. "And hopefully, those people get to see themselves in parts of us and just be able to relate to us as human beings."
Liang and the main cast of Kung Fu previously appeared together in a video message from The CW to condone the racially motivated violence targeting the AAPI community nationwide and globally that surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the timing of the show's premiere in the face of these racially motivated hate crimes was certainly unplanned, Liang hopes the show helps facilitate greater empathy and understanding towards positive Asian and Asian American portrayals on television.
"Although we're characters on TV, there's something to relate to at a human level," she said. "It all starts with understanding and being seen and part of the narrative in a positive way."
Liang added, "I'm just excited that we get to be on the screen showing us going through the whole gamut of the human experience and emotions. It's very eerie that we are coming at a time like this with this show. We always knew it was going to be important but it really hits different in 2021 in light of what's going on with our country. To see the juxtaposition of Asians in America being beaten and harassed and threatened and then to be able to see us in our show fall in love and have fun with our families and find our purpose, I think it's really important for us to see that right now."
Executive produced by Christina M. Kim, Martin Gero, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Warner Bros. TV, Kung Fu stars Olivia Liang, Tzi Ma, Kheng Hua Tan, Tony Chung, Jon Prasida, Shannon Dang, Eddie Liu and Vanessa Kai. The series premieres Wednesday, April 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
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