Chinese actress Liu Yifei has been cast as Mulan in Disney’s live-action remake.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Liu Yifei AKA Crystal Liu will star as the title woman warrior in the upcoming film.
Casting directors visited five continents and saw almost 1000 candidates for the role in a search that took one whole year.
The role required credible martial arts skills, the ability to speak English and star quality. The studio was particularly looking for an ethnically Chinese young woman for cultural accuracy.
Liu is nicknamed ‘Fairy Sister’ by the Chinese public for her pure and innocent looks and image. She is one of the country’s most popular actresses, breaking out with a series of hit television dramas in China during the mid 2000s.
Other acting credits include 2008’s The Forbidden Kingdom, in which she acted alongside Jackie Chan and Jet li. She most recently starred in the fantasy romance Once Upon a Time, which earned $82.3 million in China this summer.
Having lived in Queens, NY for part of her childhood, Liu is fluent in English.
Liu Yifei was one of the 13 Chinese actresses we suggested to play Mulan last year.
