Long before she took on the role of Fennec Shand, Boba Fett's partner-in-crime in the new Disney+ series Book of Boba Fett, Ming-Na Wen played Chun-Li in Jean-Claude Van Damme's Street Fighter.
That film has since become a cult classic thanks in large part of the comic timing of the late Raul Julia, but it also had an outsized impact on Wen's career, preparing her for roles in genre shows including Agents of SHIELD and Book of Boba Fett.
Speaking with IGN in a new interview, Wen remembers Street Fighter's demanding training schedule, which nearly drove her out of action roles altogether.
"Street Fighter was many, many moons ago and it was one of my first forays into the action film genre, and I remember that it was an incredibly intense schedule of working out, and training, and many, many tough, hard days fighting. And I remember saying to myself, 'I will never want to do another action project again,' Wen says.
Wen has mostly focused on voice-acting since then, her most famous role being Mulan, but her appearances in Agents of SHIELD and now Book of Boba Fett prove that you should "never say never, ever," she says.
"I am so grateful for Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, I'm so grateful to be Fennec right now; I'm thankful [Street Fighter] set the groundwork for me, really, in being able to do half the things that I can do now in fighting, and moving, and being able to do this kind of genre. I love it," Wen says.
Book of Boba Fett follows the titular bounty hunter in his quest to take control of the Tatooine underworld in the wake of Jabba the Hutt's demise. It's a spin-off of The Mandalorian, which includes appearances by both Boba Fett and Fennec Shand. In our review of the first episode, we called Wen's performance one of the highlights of an otherwise slow-moving episode.
In the meantime, you can check out the secret history behind Episode 2's cameo, as well as how Boba Fett escaped the Sarlaac Pit.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN
Continue reading...
That film has since become a cult classic thanks in large part of the comic timing of the late Raul Julia, but it also had an outsized impact on Wen's career, preparing her for roles in genre shows including Agents of SHIELD and Book of Boba Fett.
Speaking with IGN in a new interview, Wen remembers Street Fighter's demanding training schedule, which nearly drove her out of action roles altogether.
"Street Fighter was many, many moons ago and it was one of my first forays into the action film genre, and I remember that it was an incredibly intense schedule of working out, and training, and many, many tough, hard days fighting. And I remember saying to myself, 'I will never want to do another action project again,' Wen says.
Wen has mostly focused on voice-acting since then, her most famous role being Mulan, but her appearances in Agents of SHIELD and now Book of Boba Fett prove that you should "never say never, ever," she says.
"I am so grateful for Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, I'm so grateful to be Fennec right now; I'm thankful [Street Fighter] set the groundwork for me, really, in being able to do half the things that I can do now in fighting, and moving, and being able to do this kind of genre. I love it," Wen says.
Book of Boba Fett follows the titular bounty hunter in his quest to take control of the Tatooine underworld in the wake of Jabba the Hutt's demise. It's a spin-off of The Mandalorian, which includes appearances by both Boba Fett and Fennec Shand. In our review of the first episode, we called Wen's performance one of the highlights of an otherwise slow-moving episode.
In the meantime, you can check out the secret history behind Episode 2's cameo, as well as how Boba Fett escaped the Sarlaac Pit.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN
Continue reading...