In an SCMP interview, Hong Kong star JuJu Chan discussed Netflix’s brand new martial arts series.
Nicknamed the ‘Female Bruce Lee’, Chan is best known for her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.
In Wu Assassins, Chan plays Zan – a female bodyguard of antagonist triad boss Uncle Six (Byron Mann).
The series official description reads, “Wu Assassins follows Kai Jin, a young Chinatown chef in present day San Francisco, as he becomes entangled with the Chinese Triad’s pursuit of deadly ancient powers known as the ‘Wu Xing.’”
“After an encounter with a mystical spirit, Kai reluctantly becomes the Wu Assassin, using his enhanced martial arts skills to recover supernatural powers from five modern day criminals threatening to use them to destroy the world.”
Chan revealed to SCMP that the Wu Assassins writers created a new character for her due to her talents in martial arts.
“I initially met the crew to talk about [another] role,” Chan said. “But after realising my martial arts background and ability to do my own stunts, they wrote an entirely new role for me.”
The 30-year-old Hong Konger said she was drawn to the role as triad protectors are usually shown as men. “Usually, the top enforcer of the triad boss in movies have traditionally been men,” Chan says. “So I found the role of this tough woman protecting the big boss as very unique.”
Chan is set to marry her partner in October and told SCMP that she took pre-wedding photos during her days off. “On off days I went to take pre-wedding photos, because Cyprus is so beautiful,” she said.
Planning to start a family, Chan said her pregnancy will not interfere with her working schedule.
“I think the modern-day women should be able to do both – have a family and a career,” she says. “Besides, I can still act and do action up to the first three months of pregnancy anyway.”
“If there are action scenes to be shot [later in my pregnancy] then I guess I will have to use a double,” she said. “I hope not though, because I want to build my reputation as the action girl, the one who can act and fight on screen and do all her own stunts.”
Wu Assassins is now streaming on Netflix.
