Tran, Awkwafina describe the ‘double feeling’
Actors hope firsts of Disney’s ‘Raya’ also aren’t the last
Raya is a young warrior princess determined to save the world — she just doesn’t trust a lot of people anymore.
She does believe in Sisu, the legendary dragon whose magic helped save humanity the last time it was threatened.
“From a young age,
Raya knows exactly what she wants,” said Kelly Marie Tran, the actor who voices the titular character in “Raya and the Last Dragon.” “And then she experiences something traumatic, and she sort of views the world differently. But the whole time, she’s very much fighting for herself and the things that she believes in.”
Now in theaters and on Disney+, “Raya and the
Last Dragon” is set in a land called Kumandra and is the first Walt Disney Animation film inspired by Southeast Asian cultures.
Starring opposite Tran is Awkwafina as the voice of Sisu, who she said is unlike other dragons people encounter in pop culture.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a dragon that knows that she’s imperfect,” said Awkwafina.
Tran appreciated that Raya is allowed to experience a full range of emotions during her journey.
Like her fellow modern animated Disney princesses — such as Moana and Elsa — Raya’s adventure is not about romantic love. And Tran believes “‘Raya’ does a really good job of showing us that there are many different ways to be brave.”
This interview with
Tran and Awkwafina has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What are your thoughts on Raya and Sisu’s relationship?
Awkwafina: I love the friendship aspect all around. It just kind of shows you how much trust is needed, and how it can be found in really subtle ways. … Sisu and Raya — they really balance each other out, I think, as friends do. There’s one that might be a little bit more trusting, and one that wants to warn that one of being trusting, but at the same time learns that maybe (they) shouldn’t distrust so much and maybe (they) should believe in people more. They have that balance. And I think that exists in
every friendship.
Q: Pop culture doesn’t always recognize that Asians and Asian culture … are made up of distinct cultures and people. What was it like for you to be able to represent Southeast Asian culture specifically?
Tran: What’s been really cool about this experience is just the level of detail and how meticulous everyone has been about wanting to make sure that we are authentically representing this part of the world. … The martial arts that you’re seeing being depicted in this film is specifically from Southeast Asia, the food
that you’re seeing is specifically from Southeast Asia. … There was an entire story trust that was constantly in communication with the filmmakers to make sure that we were doing our due diligence when it came to representation. And that, to me, is a really big deal.
Q: Both of you have been the first Asian American fill-in-theblank. What is that experience like?
A: I think that when you realize that you’re the first, it comes with two different wants and emotions. One is obviously, like, happiness and joy and pride. But then there’s this other side for me — you just really don’t want to be the last. And you really wonder why you were the first. I think everything has that kind of double side. …
T: I really don’t think we’re aware of being the first anything until someone points it out on, like, the internet or something. But I absolutely agree. There’s sort of this double feeling — of feeling so honored and excited and
overwhelmed with just the experience that you get to be someone who is opening that door. And the other side of it is wanting to make sure that you are also leaving the door open for someone else to walk through.
Q: Do these representation milestones feel different when you know it’s something for kids?
T: Yes, because when you’re part of something that’s going to have a lot of kids in the audience, I think there is this immediate reverence to knowing what you’re putting into the minds of children who have these spongy brains — who are really soaking everything in —(and) that is something that needs to be taken with responsibility. …
A: I haven’t thought about it in that way. We’ve been asked the question over the course of doing press for this movie (about) how Disney kind of affected our childhoods. And the answer to that is that it’s an indelible part of it. And I think, as a result, it affects us (and) who we are later. So knowing that, and knowing that this could potentially affect children in that way. Thinking about what it would be like to have a Disney Princess like Raya when I was a kid — we had Mulan, obviously, and that was a huge thing to see — but I think just seeing Raya would have meant a lot. And it would have been different.
Q: Do you think conversations about representation and diversity have changed over the years?
T: It definitely has changed absolutely since I was a kid. If you look at the cast involved in this movie — so many of these people are people that are constantly breaking barriers and being the first whatever that is. I will venture to say that I do think that there is progress being made and hopefully this movie is part of that progress. But I will also say that there’s still more work to be done. …
A: When I first entered the industry, I saw a lot of “diversity.” That’s the kind of roles that I was auditioning for that were available at that time — a character that really didn’t have any lines but was a person of color and would kind of sit amongst this group of whatever. … Through the course of my career, that turned into what I would consider “representation.” Characters of substance that are not one-dimensional, that have their own back stories, that are authentically informed, that are told authentically behind the camera by people who originated from (that background). … I’m very optimistic about the future, and I think that, like Kelly said, there’s still progress to be made. To be a part of these movies, especially like “Raya and The Last Dragon” that broadens that scope of representation to the Southeast Asian community, I’m just really proud.