Tzi Ma Discuss ‘Tigertail,’ ‘Mulan,’ and the Anti-Asian Bigotry1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThings have gone a little too far for Tzi Ma. Over the past few years, the former artist has taken on some of the best roles of his career: portraits of strangers, generals and intergalactic senators. In the midst of trying to represent an Asian-American, Ma finds himself at the center of the stage: He plays Billi’s father Awkwafina in Farewell, and in March, I was about to start preparing two journalists Mulan (who plays Mulan’s father) as well Tigertail (Netflix’s Alan Yang’s movie acting as lead), before the release date of Mulan ‘and all non-essential commercials were banned due to COVID-19.
But a few weeks ago, Ma was seriously hurt by the reality of Americans when he was discriminated against and racially abused outside of his Whole Foods neighbourhood in Pasadena, California.
“A man stood in front of me with his car and said in my eyes, ‘You should be dedicated,’” Ma said. “Then he’s gone.”
Image credit: Tigertail film still