Mulan's Tzi Ma Praises Yifei Liu In Upcoming Disney+ Movie: 'She Gives Her Entire Being' To The Movie

Tzi Ma is opening up about the new live action Mulan movie and praising his on-screen daughter, Yifei Liu.

The 58-year-old actor stars as Fa Zhou in the flick, debuting on Disney+ this week, and in a new interview with Digital Spy, can’t say enough great thinks about Yifei.

“She gives her entire being. She embodies that spirit,” he shared about her role as the title character. “Her ability to connect with other cast members where you feel the chemistry of these relationships – familial relationships, the brotherhood.”

Tzi continues that he was blown away by her dedication to the training she underwent for the role, too.

“[The amount of] training itself, it’s ridiculous. Military training, combat training, stunt training, stamina training. And we all live in the same place, in the same hotel. We see each other every day. The boys are complaining. ‘Oh my god, I can’t walk, that killed me’. But not a word from Yifei.”

He adds, “She raises the bar, and I think (director) Niki (Caro) has said that in interviews. You’ve got to bring your A-game or you’re going to disappear in the scene…She’s kind. There’s no mean bone in this young lady.”

Tzi also opened up about how much the live action Mulan is going to mean to everyone, especially the Asian population.

“You’ll be proud of it,” Tzi says. “It is cinematic. It is meant for the big screen. But I’m relieved that finally the world is going to get an opportunity to see it. It’s really, really an amazing piece of work.”

He goes on, “I’m sure when [Asian diaspora] kids see it, immediately it’s going to happen here, in their minds – seeing someone who looks like them. Throughout the entire screen! Every character is going to look like you. It blows my mind. The film is a celebration. A celebration of culture, a celebration of family, a celebration of women’s contributions to our world. And you’re going to see – even more so than any other time – a group of men who are Asian, who are in so many different characters and sizes and shapes, and the camaraderie. I don’t think I’ve seen it like this ever in a Hollywood film.”

“I can’t even begin to tell you what that means to me.”

Mulan premieres Friday, September 4 on Disney+ for a nominal fee for streaming. It will be free to stream in December.