In the new film “Kung Fu Panda 4,” comedian Ronny Chieng, much like his castmates, doesn’t voice anyone who remotely resembles himself. He doesn’t even voice a human. He’s a grumpy fish that lives inside of a pelican’s mouth.
But that doesn’t mean that the representation behind the screen doesn’t matter in this case, he said. Even though the characters in the film are all animated, the movie’s undeniably Asian elements and homage to Chinese culture are bolstered by the presence of its heavily Asian cast, Chieng told NBC News — one that features some heavy hitters like Ke Huy Quan, Awkwafina and James Hong.
He said part of the appeal is that Asians everywhere can get behind the film. “Despite being made in America by Americans, people in China love it,” too, he said, because they cast “people who are authentic to the source material to do the voices for it.”
“I think all those little things add up to the overall kind of authenticity and love of the movie,” he said.
The film, which opens Friday, follows lovable panda Po, voiced by the returning Jack Black, as he’s tasked with appointing a successor to his esteemed role as the Dragon Warrior. But Po, who’s expected to move on as the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, isn’t thrilled to do so, still enamored with the glory and action that comes with being a kung fu fighter. The search, however, takes a turn when a thieving fox named Zhen, voiced by Awkwafina, comes into the picture. To get herself out of trouble, Zhen distracts Po with word of a treacherous sorceress, the Chameleon, voiced by Viola Davis. And the pair set off to search for the villain. Chieng’s character, Captain Fish, is hired to ferry the pair to Juniper City, where the Chameleon’s Palace lies.
The role adds to Chieng’s vast body of work that includes culturally significant Asian projects like “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” to the kooky sci-fi horror…
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