Oliver Stone film raises the stakes for Yvonne Chapman after back-to-back release of ‘Last Airbender’ and ‘The Season’
If you’re an avid follower of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Superman & Lois,” and the 2021 estrogen-fueled “Kung Fu” series reboot, we have a special treat to kick off this brand-new radar Entertainment column for you.
Last week, we spoke to Canadian actress Yvonne Chapman over Zoom for this exclusive interview to discuss her action- and sci-fi-studded career. This month alone, Yvonne will be seen in two eagerly anticipated series—as the earthbender Avatar Kyoshi in the seven-episode second season of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and as Madeline Wong in the six-part revenge thriller “The Season.”
Yvonne’s previous roles are nothing to scoff at: In “Kung Fu,” she played Zhilan, the main nemesis of its lead character Nicky Shen. She also breathed villainous life into Amanda McCoy, the trusted ally who testified against her boss, Lex Luthor, in the fourth and final season of “Superman & Lois.” And in Disney+’s “Armorsaurs,” about alien-busting dinosaur robots, she portrayed the badass mentor of the teenage super quintet. How prolific can you get?
Despite playing mostly empowered women with a mind of their own, would you believe Yvonne was actually shy as a kid?
Asked how she ended up becoming an actress specializing in empowered women, she said, “I’ve also asked myself that question (laughs)! Growing up, I had this idea that actors could only be extroverted people, and I, even to this day, tell myself, ‘That’s not really me.’ I’ve definitely improved in that regard since I was a young girl. But now that I’m in this business, I find that a lot of actors are quite introverted.”
Swirling power play in elite circles
Her latest projects provide even more exciting challenges for Yvonne.
“The Season” exposes the moral decay hidden beneath Hong Kong’s elite circles. At the center of its swirling power play are billionaire Christopher Hext (Toby Stephens) and his socialite wife Fiona (Karena Lam), who fight desperately to maintain a perfect image when their deeply fragile house of mirrors starts to crack. The miniseries began airing on June 17 on Viu.
Then in the sophomore season of the live-action adaptation of “Last Airbender,” Avatar Aang (Fil-Am teenager Gordon Cormier) sets off on a mission to convince the elusive Earth King (Justin Chien) to help him win his battle against Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim).
The Filipinos in the cast of “Airbender’s” second and third seasons include Dolly de Leon (as Li and Lo, the elderly twin advisers of Princess Azula), Lourdes Faberes (General Sung) and Jon Jon Briones (master swordsman Piandao). It premieres on June 25 on Netflix.
As she mentioned in an interview before the Season 1 premiere of “Airbender,” Yvonne, who was a fan of the cartoon series, reread the books to get a sense of Avatar Kyoshi and understand what facets of her life would serve her best in her scenes with Aang in the pilot season.
“That’s how I prepared for it,” she recalled. “On top of that, putting on the costume and makeup really sealed the deal for me. I mean, it was so much fun to get inside her skin. There’s so much to like about Kyoshi because her characterization is really fleshed-out. It goes from her being a servant in the Avatar mansion to how she develops when she finally learns that she is the Avatar. She had to go through a lot of turmoil to understand what her true purpose was.”
Exploring themes of identity, family and reconnection
In Season 2, Kyoshi returns to guide Aang through the escalating war in the Earth Kingdom. She appears via spiritual manifestations to recount the origins of Kyoshi Island and her fateful confrontation with the tyrant, Chin the Great.
While “The Season” doesn’t have high-kicking characters who can bend air, water, fire, and earth, it’s just as compelling to watch because it also explores themes of identity, family, and reconnection.
“The fact that it’s based in Hong Kong really sets ‘The Season’ apart,” Yvonne asserted. “It’s one of the first series based in Hong Kong to make it over to US streaming services. That’s a huge barrier being breached right there. It’s fun, funny, and sexy, with mystery to boot. The show gives viewers a glimpse into Hong Kong’s high society that we don’t necessarily see very much of.”
When we asked Yvonne to describe her character, she shared, “Madeline is a niece of the influential Hext family. She left Hong Kong at the height of a scandal that involved her and her late husband. When we first meet her, she’s making her reentry into Hong Kong—and not everybody is thrilled about it.
“What really drew me to Madeline was that she’s coming back into this world not knowing where she belongs. She’s reinventing her identity as she sheds an old version of herself. She’s figuring out her place in society while remaining authentic—and that’s something I and a lot of people can relate to.”
Adding another career milestone
Working in Hong Kong also felt like a homecoming of sorts for Yvonne. “It’s like a full-circle moment for me,” she intimated. “My dad’s side of the family is from Hong Kong. My grandmother, who I just saw yesterday, lives here—which was really great. She’s 99, so it was wonderful to have that time with her. It’s special to be able to film in a place that isn’t just dear to me but one that means something to my family. Talking about this makes me emotional because, through this show, I get to showcase where they’re from.”
As if the aforesaid body of work isn’t impressive enough, Yvonne just added another career milestone: Last Tuesday, Deadline announced that the actress has also been cast in Oliver Stone’s upcoming film “White Lies,” whose lead stars include Josh Hartnett, Michael Douglas, and Willem Dafoe. The story revolves around a child of divorce who grows up repeating his parents’ mistakes in his own marriage.
On being cast in “White Lies,” Yvonne said, “Oliver is a true legend, and it has been an extraordinary honor to work with him on this film alongside such inspiring talent. It has been a highlight of my career and my profound privilege to be part of this story.”
The rest of our one-on-one chat with Yvonne:
Acting requires performers to express emotions. Is that why you’re drawn to empowered female characters like the ones in “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “Kung Fu”?
I loved playing Kyoshi and Jilan! Every single character has given me the gift of learning more about myself or discovering things that were perhaps dormant inside of me until I had to bring those characters to life.
In real life, I’m not Jilan or Kyoshi by any stretch of imagination. So it was lovely to be able to embody them onscreen. All those women left their mark and awakened something in me. But I want to make it very clear that I don’t go out assassinating anybody, and neither can I “earthbend” (laughs).
Who would win in a faceoff among Jilan, Avatar Kyoshi, and Amanda McCoy? Amanda’s punch may not pack as much wallop, but she was partly responsible for the downfall of Lex Luthor.
Yeah, Amanda’s very smart (laughs)…and she was also the brains behind him! It’s no easy feat, but the answer depends on the faceoff. All of these women have means, but if you’re going to just plop them down in an arena without any cell phone, Kyoshi would win. After all, she has the power of all the elements at her fingertips!
What traits from each of your characters resonate with you the most?
I’m not a neat freak as much as Kyoshi is, but this was the first thing that came to mind when I was reading the books about her. She grew up as a helper in a palace household, so she was very tidy, systematic, and pragmatic. I was like, “Oh, that’s a little bit of me in there.”
What I love about Madeline is that she just speaks her mind sometimes. In the show, you’ll see her unfiltered side in a certain scene. Have you ever had circumstances where you’re put up against the wall and people are saying things that are just not right? You walk away saying, “I wish I put them in their place!” Madeline does that, and I wish there was more of that in me—that’s what I want to learn from her.
With Amanda, what resonated with me the most was her background. She worked in business and finance. She ran the company—not that I was ever as good as she (laughs)—but I thought I could employ my past profession into her.
As for Jilan, she’s probably the biggest departure for me on a personal level. But she was also so much fun to play because of the same reason.
When we were kids, we all wanted to be superheroes. So it must have been a dream come true for you to “live” in a world inhabited by Superman. Which superhero did you want to be?
I wanted to be Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. I thought she was so kickass and powerful, and I just wanted to slay all the vampires and be as strong as she was.
I also grew up on “Sailor Moon” because of my hair color and everything. So everybody called me Sailor Mars. I’m laughing because your questions are really bringing me back to my childhood—and I love it!
If you could have any superpower you want, what would it be?
Oh, I would love teleportation. It would be amazing to be anywhere at any time. Just snap your fingers and see the world in any capacity. You won’t have to do the long lineups at immigration and security. Can you imagine? We’ll save a lot of time and money (laughs)!
Stream all episodes of “The Season” on Viu now, and watch “Avatar: The Last Airbender” Season 2 when it premieres on June 25 on Netflix.
