Lucy Liu

Let's take a short break.

If you're just joining us, I'm talking to Lucy Liu.

Her new film is called Rosemead.

This is Fresh Air.

You can't hide the truth.

We are who we are.

And if that's ultimately what I get to represent in this lifetime, then I will feel it was a life well lived.

Watch or listen to that Wildcard conversation on the NPR app or on YouTube at NPR Wildcard.

This is Fresh Air.

Today I'm talking with actor, director, and visual artist Lucy Liu.

There was this article, and I know you've been asked about it many times, but I want to ask you about it now, to talk about this dragon lady stereotype.

So you didn't engage with criticism for a long time about Ling Wu's character and O-Ren from Kill Bill, which we'll talk about a little bit later.

But then there was this essay in Teen Vogue that singled out O-Rin in particular, and you responded with your own op-ed pointing out that no one calls Sharon Stone a dragon lady for basic instinct or other women who play really strong characters.

What made you decide to finally speak up about it?

I actually didn't even know the article existed.

A friend of mine sent it to me.

I just found it really surprising that we were all women assassins and that I was singled out as a dragon lady, but nobody else was.

And we all were doing the same thing.

That was our job.

Our career was we were assassins.