We Sat Down With Awkwafina And Meng’er Zhang To Talk ‘Shang-Chi’ And The Importance Of Family

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the latest Marvel film to hit our screens. In fact, it’s the 25th in the staggeringly ambitious juggernaut that is the MCU — but more importantly, it’s the first to truly champion Asian representation.

Star Simu Liu famously lobbied Marvel on Twitter years ago, writing, “Hey @Marvel, great job with Cpt America and Thor. Now how about an Asian American hero?” back in 2014. Well, mission accomplished, Simu.

And beyond all the obligatory backflips and punching in the face, Shang-Chi is a film about family. Raised by his father, Wenwu, to be an assassin, Shang-Chi (played by Simu Liu) bails on this life of crime and flees to live in San Francisco, where he attempts to lead something approaching a normal existence. San Francisco is, of course, an incredible city — if I had to run away from my murderous crime lord family, I’d go to the home of craft beers, excellent gin, and impeccable beard grooming too.

Once set up in San Fran, Shang-Chi does what all fish out of water do: he builds up a makeshift family around him, chiefly in the form of his best bud, Katy (played by Awkwafina).

Awkwafina has some serious acting chops, most recently turning out something truly special in The Farewell. But in Shang-Chi, she plays Katy, a witty fast-talker and Shang-Chi’s best friend slash sister figure. She’s the opposite of what he’s been running from. She’s normal. She’s his safe place. When the dangers of his past come nipping at his heels, she’s pushed beyond her limits.

Katy becomes his sister, in effect…which is awkward, because when Shang-Chi is forced to contend with his old life, his birth sister, Xialing (played expertly by Meng’er Zhang), enters the scene. When this happens, the film begins to dance around a truly relatable idea: What is family? And which is more real: the family you’re born with, or the family you make?

Recently, I sat down with Awkwafina and Meng’er Zhang, who plays Xialing, to talk about the role of family in Shang-Chi. And strangely enough, Meng’er Zhang, had an odd off-screen familial moment of her own.

“I met my husband on this film!” She told me. ‘He’s one of the action designers, and we really didn’t plan anything for our marriage, but the production threw us this really big celebration party… Simu (Shang-Chi) took us to a Disneyland trip, and Awkwafina, she booked a whole venue to celebrate for us. We are really like a big family.”

Awkwafina talks down her role in Meng’er’s love story, however: “No, I did throw them a little… a bit of a wedding event. And also… I just love to party. It’s that as well.”

Watch both chats below.

---

Shang-Chi hits Australian cinemas (god willing) September 2 — and in Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT on September 16.

Paul Verhoeven is an author, broadcaster and TV presenter. His books Electric Blue and Loose Units are out now through Penguin, and his podcasts, DISH! and Loose Units, are available everywhere you get your podcasts. He tweets from @paulverhoeven.