Fresh Air (NPR) – Lucy Liu

Original Air Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Tanya (Tonya) Moseley
Guest: Lucy Liu

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode centers on Lucy Liu—actor, director, visual artist, and cultural icon—as she discusses her powerful new film, Rosemead. The conversation delves deep into her career, her experiences as an Asian American in Hollywood, the complexities of immigrant identity, language, and the emotional, personal underpinnings of her latest work. Liu and Moseley explore issues of stigma, representation, vulnerability, and Lucy Liu’s lifelong journey of self-discovery, artistry, and resilience.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

The Making and Themes of Rosemead

• Why Liu Took the Role
  • Rosemead tells the story of Irene, a terminally ill Chinese immigrant whose son is grappling with schizophrenia and violent ideation.
  • Liu describes being “terrified” by the script but unable to turn away from it.
  • “I realized that there’s nothing like this in our lexicon. We don’t have a story about an immigrant family struggling with cancer or mental health. I wanted to highlight the love in this family…to really talk about what happened behind closed doors.” (Lucy Liu, 02:14)
• Cultural Stigma and Language Barriers
  • Irene’s isolation is rooted in both literal language barriers (Mandarin vs. English) and the cultural reluctance within her community to discuss mental health openly.
  • “She also sequesters herself… because there’s a lot of judgment within the community... They are not as open to mental health services… steering it away towards superstition.” (Lucy Liu, 05:00)
• The Film’s Root in Real Events
  • Inspired by true stories and the often “clickbait” way the media covers immigrant tragedy, Liu sought to humanize her character, showing her vulnerability, agency, and love rather than making her a stereotype.

Family, Immigration, and Identity

• Language as Comfort and Distance
  • A pivotal dinner scene (07:08) demonstrates a mother and son using different languages to express or protect themselves, showcasing gaps in communication and generational divides.
  • “There’s just this void between them…they’re trying to protect each other, but they’re not really on the same wavelength.” (Lucy Liu, 07:29)
• Personal Resonance
  • Liu draws from her own childhood as a child of immigrants—translating for her parents, navigating dual cultural expectations, and holding the conflicting roles of child and advocate.
  • “You become the parents in that situation, even though they’re the ones who have the authority.” (Lucy Liu, 11:56)
• Childhood Experiences
  • She reflects on feeling out-of-place in school and on television, longing to “fall into that world” where people were laughing and belonged.
  • “You know, as a child…not understanding, like, why don’t I see myself on television?” (Lucy Liu, 13:17)
  • She describes seeing her mother disrespected because of “fragmented English” and race, fueling both helplessness and a desire for agency.

Breaking into Acting Against the Odds

• Unconventional Entry and Resilience
  • “There was a manager on a subway…gave me his card. I was, of course, very suspicious…we only had Yellow Pages back then, so I called the Better Business Bureau.” (Lucy Liu, 16:52)
  • Her early career was sparse in auditions, teaching her resilience: “Rejection was on my resume. There were so few auditions…maybe being raw and unpolished worked in my favor.” (Lucy Liu, 18:24)

Representation and Typecasting in Hollywood

• Ally McBeal and the “Dragon Lady” Stereotype
  • Ling Wu was written specifically for Liu after her audition; she relished playing a “blunt” character with “an honesty…and a point of view” (28:33).
  • Liu discusses being labeled a “dragon lady” while white counterparts playing assassins often escape such racialized criticism:
    • “We were all women assassins…I was singled out…and that really indicated…racial profiling.” (Lucy Liu, 31:59)
  • She penned an op-ed in The Washington Post after reading critiques in Teen Vogue, determined to push back publicly.
• Pushing Open the Doors
  • Liu intentionally kept non-Asian character names for roles, showcasing that Asian actors can play any type, not just narrowly defined “Asian” parts.
  • “It’s imperative to know that these roles, although they were not written for someone Asian, that they could be…and should be retained as those names.” (Lucy Liu, 33:10)

The Impact and Legacy of Kill Bill

• Embodiment of O-Ren Ishii
  • Learned Japanese and worked closely with costumers to nail cultural details (“The central part of the kimono is the wrist and the back of the neck…very revealing, very intimate.” (Lucy Liu, 37:04))
  • Reflected on O-Ren’s compelling backstory, resilience, and how viewers root for her despite her being an antagonist (38:32).

The Personal Toll and Transformation

• Journey from Shyness to Self-Possession
  • Rediscovering old report cards reminded her how shy and voiceless she had been: “It’s kind of sad that I forgot this little girl that didn’t have a voice…this poor child…she must have felt so confused.” (Lucy Liu, 23:19)
  • College gave her a sense of individual identity and agency, moving from “comparing herself” to “my family” to finding “my own voice.” (24:23)
• Parenthood and Compassion
  • Teaching her own son Mandarin to connect with ancestry and identity (44:03).
  • Rosemead provided healing and new compassion for her parents:
    • “This movie helped me to really see that that vacancy was really for compassion.” (Lucy Liu, 46:23)

Legacy, Cultural References, and Connection

• Public Recognition Across Generations
  • Different audiences associate her with different roles—Ling Wu in Europe, O-Ren as a cult icon, Joan Watson among families, and Alex Mundy (“I’ve kind of hit a lot of different areas and different groups…not just one group.” (Lucy Liu, 41:25))
  • She recalls fans naming children after her and even tattooing her characters, driving home her cultural significance.
  • On being referenced in OutKast’s “Hey Ya”: “It was so shocking to me…it didn’t really occur what it meant…because I was so busy just doing. I wasn’t as present as I am now.” (Lucy Liu, 42:32)

NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• On Representation: “We don’t have a story about a family, an immigrant family struggling with cancer or…mental health. I wanted to highlight the love in this family.” (02:14)
• On Language and Isolation: “She’s very much isolated, but she sequesters herself… there’s a lot of judgment within the community.” (05:00)
• On Navigating the U.S. as a Child of Immigrants: “You become the parents in that situation, even though they’re the ones who have the authority.” (11:56)
• On Shyness and Finding Her Voice: “[Report cards said] she doesn’t talk, she doesn’t participate, she’s too shy…I just…don’t know who that was. Remembering that is sort of a shocking thing…” (23:19)
• On Resilience in Hollywood: “Rejection was on my resume… maybe being raw and unpolished worked in my favor.” (18:24)
• On Typecasting and Stereotypes: “We were all women assassins and I was singled out as a dragon lady but nobody else was.… It indicated…racial profiling.” (31:59)
• On Legacy and Change: “It’s imperative to know that these roles, although they were not written for someone Asian, that they could be…This is how things can change.” (33:10)
• On Compassion and Healing: “This movie helped me to really see that that vacancy was really for compassion.” (46:23)
• On Public Recognition: “When somebody has a tattoo of one of your characters…it really jolts you awake, to have that kind of impact.” (41:54)
• On Cultural Memory: “I love being connected to Beyoncé. Come on, that’s not going to be something I’ll forget anytime soon.” (42:23)

IMPORTANT SEGMENTS & TIMESTAMPS

• Lucy Liu’s first reaction to the Rosemead script: (02:14)
• Language, isolation, and cultural stigma in the film and real life: (05:00–08:22)
• Childhood as a translator between cultures and parents: (11:56)
• Not seeing herself on TV, longing to belong: (13:17–14:11)
• Early acting break and navigating auditions: (16:52–19:53)
• Ling Wu on Ally McBeal – feminist icon and stereotype: (27:26–29:58)
• Dragon Lady stereotype and speaking out: (31:59–33:10)
• Intentional naming in casting and industry change: (33:10–34:04)
• Kill Bill legacy and crafting O-Ren Ishii: (35:00–38:32)
• Public impact, generational recognition, and legacy: (40:54–42:23)
• Motherhood, teaching Mandarin, and the impact of Rosemead: (44:03–46:23)

SUMMARY

Lucy Liu’s conversation on Fresh Air is a poignant, multi-layered exploration of her pivotal new film Rosemead and her long career as one of Hollywood’s most visible—and versatile—Asian American women. She reflects on cultural exile, language, and stigma both onscreen and in her own childhood, underscores the importance of nuanced representation, and reveals her journey from shy immigrant child to icon. Liu’s thoughtful insights on the art and responsibility of storytelling, the evolution of casting in Hollywood, and the personal growth engendered by both roles and motherhood, make this one of Fresh Air’s most engaging and illuminating interviews of the year.