SINCE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT EFFECTS, IT WAS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED THAT THE SHOW WAS FILMED IN THE SAME STUDIOS AS THE MANDALORIAN. HOW DO YOU APPROACH ACTING WITH A GREEN SCREEN WHERE THERE AREN’T A LOT OF ELEMENTS FOR YOU TO INTERACT WITH
Actually, my first scene was not (with a) green screen. It was the same studio that shot The Mandalorian that has all these panels. So it was just so beautiful with the clouds going by, and the birds flying and all the buildings.
I was very overwhelmed very first. But ultimately, it’s very inspiring, because that’s where the genocide of the Southern Air Temple takes place. And I was aware of that.
I also felt: “My goodness. This whole place, everybody’s gonna be killed.” So there was a really deep stirring emotion in me. And then it came out. (Gyatso) translated his love for Aang but there was a certain kind of uncertainty about telling him that he was going to be the Avatar.
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER’S LAST STAND AGAINST THE FIRE NATION. HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR THAT?
I was very daunted by the kung fu; I had to learn quite a lot of kung fu with a stick. There’s a whole routine that I had to learn in three stages.
From the first time I flew to Vancouver, each time I flew, I would have to practise kung fu. And they gave me time; they didn’t shoot it immediately, so I’m just practising kung fu all the time with the stick. By the time we got to filming, I could do my movements.
But I knew that I wasn’t that smooth. I had done tai chi before as a theatre actor in Singapore and a certain amount of Shaolin but it didn’t prepare me for the stick work.