Entertainment Spotlight: Jun Yu, Mulan
Actor Jun Yu makes his feature film debut in Disney’s highly anticipated, live action adaptation of Mulan opposite Yifei Liu, Jet Li, Tzi Ma and Rosalind Chao. Jun is a scene-stealer as Cricket, Mulan’s comrade and confidant as she enters training military training and war. Jun is a fresh face in the entertainment industry—while working on his college degree at USC, he landed his first professional audition, which happened to be for Mulan, and got the role. He headed off to film for nearly all of 2019 and has been working ever since. In television, Jun most recently recurred as Pete on ABC’s hit comedy series Fresh off the Boat alongside Randall Park and Constance Wu. In addition to working in front of the camera, Jun has a passion for music and is a rapper in his down time. He is currently working on his debut EP, and notes some of his musical influences are Mac Miller, Andre 3000, Lauryn Hill, and J. Cole. Jun took the time to answer some of our questions about Mulan. Check it out:
Is there a scene or moment from the new Mulan that you’re most excited for fans to see?
There’s no specific scene or moment, but I’m excited to see fans watch the action sequences.
If you woke up tomorrow morning as Cricket in the world of Mulan, what would you do?
Oh man. I’m sorry, but I’m leaving the army. I’m not as brave as Cricket, so I would change my name to Hopper, and just live a quiet life on a farm.
Can you tell us about the audition experience?
Mulan was my first audition ever. So, I had no idea what to expect. But the whole thing was very basic. I went in, got a callback, did what I did from the first audition, and then, soon enough got a call that I got the role.
How does it feel to be in such an iconic film, and what do you hope that audiences take away from it?
It doesn’t seem real. I feel that whenever I think about everything, I was just imagining it. But I truly feel blessed more than anything. I hope audiences see how much hard work and dedication that everyone who was part of the project put in. There are so many specific jobs and without them, the film would not have turned out so beautifully.
Can you take us through a typical day on set?
Call time is usually 5 am. You get to a location and get dressed into costumes which takes a couple people to help put it on you. Then, you head over to make-up and hair which could easily take 40min. Afterward, I usually go to where the food and coffee are. I’ll chug 4 double espresso shots to feel my heart race, then prepare for whatever scene we are shooting that day. Somedays you ride horses and others you’re on a wire and get thrown. Then we get done around 5 pm and head back to the hotel and the cycle continues.
Which animated Disney movie would you like to see a live-action remake of next?
Honestly, I’m really excited to see the Little Mermaid live action! A story told mostly underwater would be absolutely stunning, but also extremely terrifying. My one fear in life is the ocean, so maybe the first step to conquering that fear would be to see this film.
When you think about the experience of filming, is there a specific funny story or moment that sticks out to you?
There were a lot of moments, but there was a day where Nelson Lee (who plays the Chancellor) was wearing a Benihana type of hat, and so my cast mates and I would try to “Kobe” orange peels into it! So, the entire day Nelson would have pieces of 15 orange peels without even realizing it, but would constantly ask about a citrus smell.
Describe each of the following in one word: Who you are, what you value the most, and what you’d be if you were a food item.
Cheeks, Authenticity, Jicama
What are you most excited about right now?
I think right now, I’m just excited for my mother to see the film. She can’t really wrap her head around her son being in a movie—let alone Disney’s Mulan.
Thanks for taking the time, Jun! Mulan is available for purchase on Disney+.
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