Lucy Liu

This is Fresh Air.

I'm Tanya Mosley.

My guest today is Lucy Liu.

Over the past three decades, Liu has become one of the most recognizable faces in film and television.

From her breakout role on Ally McBeal to the stylized violence of Kill Bill and her reinvention of Dr. Watson on Elementary, Liu has expanded representation of Asian-American women on screen.

She also directs and creates visual art, exhibiting her mixed media work internationally.

Her latest project is a film she spent years shepherding, and as the lead, she takes on one of the most emotionally layered roles of her career.

It tells the story of Irene, a terminally ill Chinese immigrant living in California's San Gabriel Valley, who discovers that her teenage son, who has schizophrenia, has become fixated on school shootings.

In a community where mental illness is rarely discussed openly, Irene confronts this fear largely on her own.

And as her own time runs out, she becomes haunted by a question she can't escape.

What if her son becomes violent?

In the end, she chooses to take matters into her own hands by choosing violence herself.

The film is called Rosemead.

and it's inspired by true events.

Lou signed on as both a producer and star, and it's her first dramatic leading role in a feature film.

We spoke last week before the disturbing acts of violence at Brown University, Bondi Beach in Australia, and the murders of the Reiners.

Lucy Liu, welcome to Fresh Air.

What a thrill to be here.

I'm so happy to have you.

And I'll tell you, I was so moved by this movie.