The upcoming live-action movie Mulan is facing controversy after the lead actress who plays Mulan put out a controversial message on her social media platform.
“I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong,” lead actress Liu Yifei said. Liu, a Chinese-American actress and singer, tweeted about the escalating situation between China and Hong Kong.
There were many protesters who were peacefully demonstrating in Hong Kong against government reform. Liu felt that the Hong Kong Police were doing what was necessary, and believed that it was right to be brutal against peaceful protesters. She used social media to spread the message of her support, which did not go well with everyone.
Liu did not attend D23, apparently not wanting to be near any press that would ask questions of her. D23 is the largest Disney fan event in the world where many actors and actresses of popular Disney movies attend.
Many users of her social media platform, Twitter, responded by using the hashtag #BoycottMulan. It was hard for people to believe that the lead actress who is representing a Chinese woman who took her father’s place in the army, would put out her support for the Hong Kong police who brutally attacked peaceful protesters.
“I feel bad for the people who worked hard on the movie. It took just one person to ruin everybody’s hard work. I’m still indecisive about whether or not my friends and I should watch the movie,” Sabrina Amani, one of the people excited about the upcoming movie said.
The live-action Mulan has been a highly anticipated movie ever since the trailer released. After Lie Yifei put out her personal opinion most of the highly liked comments on the trailer involve people criticizing her. Due to her actions, all the backlash is going toward the movie. Many people feel as if it wasn’t her place to comment on her thoughts on the Hong Kong police.
“I don’t feel as if it was her place to comment on the event,” Senior Navneen Dhaliwal said. “Liu Yifei should have stayed away from social media, especially since she had such a controversial opinion. She was supposed to be an inspiration towards a lot of people, mostly people who the movie might have had a cultural impact on.”
Mulan was getting a lot of criticism already from other aspects of the film, such as characters and songs that are not going to be included. Liu should have been more responsible, knowing that having such an opinion would receive a lot of backlash.
Now, there are many people who aren’t planning to watch the movie and much of that reflects badly not just on the lead actress, but on the whole live-action movie. Mulan is scheduled to open in the U.S. on March 27, 2020. Perhaps #BoycottMulan will have settled down by then.
