Dallas Liu of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ on what it's like to be a rising Asian-American actor

Liu discusses the growing representation of Asian actors in Hollywood today and his hope to not be typecasted or limited by his ethnicity

Actor on the rise, Dallas Liu, is stepping into his first leading role as Prince Zuko in Netflix’s live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender. For those who grew up watching the popular Nickelodeon series—often dubbed by critics as one of the greatest animated television series of all time—the story of Aang and the four nations is both familiar and nostalgic.

Liu, however, has teased fans saying, “[Watching the new show is] going to be quite the experience.” Set for a February 2024 release, the remake is headlined by some of the most popular Asian actors in Hollywood including Daniel Dae Kim, Paul Sun-Hyung, Ken Leung and Elizabeth Yu.

As the story itself borrows elements from indigenous Asian tribes, it’s become culturally important to showcase the people as they are. Yet, when questioned about how Hollywood segments the nuances of the term “Asian”—broad in itself, encompassing countless ethnic groups spread across 48 countries—Liu reveals that being “Asian” isn’t necessarily the most important thing about any one character.

Above Born and raised in Los Angeles, Liu plays the anti-hero Prince Zuko in Netflix’s 2024 remake of the ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ series released on February 22 (Photo: Timothy Fernandez)

A cultural movement

“Typically the breakdowns [for an audition] will just be Asian, black, white, Latino, and [actors] will go into that because not always in every project are they going to need to explain the background of a character,” says Liu. “As Asians in Hollywood, we not only want to be able to tell a cultural story, we also want to be a character where [being Asian isn’t] the only thing about them.

“At the end of the day, we are real people living everyday lives. So although, culturally, we might be different, we’re all human beings at the end of the day.”

For Liu, who began his acting career at age 13, honing his craft has culminated at just the right time. “It’s super hot [to be] an Asian-American actor in Hollywood right now,” he laughs. Having previously appeared in Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings alongside Simu Liu and Awkwafina, Liu is at the forefront of a cultural phenomenon progressing towards the inclusion of Asian-influenced projects.

Above The actor of Chinese-Indonesian descent made his film debut at six years old (Photo: Timothy Fernandez)

“I think as far as Hollywood goes, we’re doing a better job [at representation], but there’s always going to be room to improve.”

For him, the challenge becomes less about the scarcity of opportunity and more about experience. Having had a mentor himself at the beginning of his career, Liu ponders about the future of Hollywood and notes that more mentors will likely be available to guide young actors and actresses and lead them in the right direction. “We hold a lot of responsibility knowing that there are only more opportunities to come for all of us,” Liu says.

Succeeding in Hollywood

In a way, Liu is living an interesting paradox in Hollywood. While representation has been touted as one of the most important issues for this generation of artists, it’s also become something that mustn’t tie an actor down. “It’s just a character, at the end of the day,” says Liu. “People want to see what you can do with it regardless of how you look.”

“I’m living my life trying to make it as an actor, not necessarily as an Asian actor who wants to work only on Asian projects. I want to be able to do everything. I don’t want to limit myself to any sort of opportunities.”

What then is the most important factor when it comes to landing a role in Hollywood? “Preparation,” Liu shares. Less about how you look or who you are, preparation encompasses different strategies for different actors. For Liu, it’s as simple as knowing your lines and understanding what’s going on in the scene.

Above The official trailer of Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

“A lot of auditions have been on self-tape because of Covid, so people are typically filming their auditions on their phones,” Liu says. “It might help to have a good lighting setup. Order a ring light and set it up behind the camera. But honestly, at the end of the day, it comes down to whether or not they like you and that’s usually out of your control, especially in the early stages.”

Coming from Hollywood and creating stories from the histrionic city has made Liu realise that rigidity has become passé for most storylines. He says, “It’s good to have those much broader and more general roles where everyone can come in and get a shot at [an audition].”

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Credits

Photography

Timothy Fernandez

Grooming

Tammy Yi

Styling

Fabio Immediato

Topics

Hollywood Actor Avatar The Last Airbender Netflix Television

Tatler Asia

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ star Dallas Liu on being Asian in Hollywood

A cultural movement

Succeeding in Hollywood