This story contains spoilers for “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
One of the most emotional callbacks to Netflix's “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is in the music.
The fourth episode of the series, “Into the Dark,” features a flashback to a funeral. As young Prince Zuko offers his condolences to his uncle Iroh on the death of his son Lu Ten, the score transitions to an orchestral version of the familiar tune, “Leaves From the Vine.” The song, first heard in the animated series “Avatar,” has long been associated with the Fire Nation general's grief.
“That devastated me,” said Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who plays Iroh in the new live-action adaptation, now streaming.
“I just heard the [new] song in December,” added Dallas Liu, who plays Zuko. “I started imagining our scene and [it] I kill myself.”
The live-action “Avatar” co-stars were in high spirits as they discussed the show and their characters’ relationship over coffee at a West Hollywood hotel earlier this month. (This reporter borrowed a page from Iroh's book about the joys of spending time with fascinating strangers and opted for tea.)
Both actors say they are big fans of the animated series, which originally aired from 2005 to 2008 on Nickelodeon. More than once they mentioned the high bar set by the original show and the responsibility they felt to honor its spirit (an earlier attempt was not well received), especially since everyone else on set loved the show too.
“Not even just Paul and I,” Liu said. “Our cast members, our writers, even our transportation and craftsmanship. [services] equipment.”
In “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), left, and Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) have been searching for the missing Avatar for years.
(Netflix)
“Avatar” is set in a world inspired by Asian and indigenous cultures, where certain people have the power to manipulate elements through a martial arts-infused skill known as bending. The original series was a rare children's cartoon that touched on important themes such as war, genocide, and imperialism within a coming-of-age fantasy story of a young hero destined to save the world.
“Zuko is a character that I have always loved since my childhood,” Liu said of the exiled Fire Nation prince. He is desperately searching for the Avatar, a special bender reincarnated in each generation charged with maintaining harmony in the world, to earn his father's approval and a way back home.
Accompanying Zuko on his mission is Iroh, a renowned general and former heir to the crown who spent years on the front lines of the Fire Nation's ongoing war to conquer the other nations.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who plays Uncle Iroh in “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Iroh “seems very jovial, but you know there's a lot more to him than that,” Lee said. “He carries a deep feeling of sadness and loss.”
Working within a franchise with a passionate fan base is nothing new for Lee, who has appeared as New Republic pilot Captain Carson Teva in several recent “Star Wars” series, including “Ahsoka” and “The Mandalorian.” ”. But landing the role of Iroh has offered the “Kim's Convenience” actor the opportunity to take on the challenge of playing an already beloved character.
For Lee, Zuko and Iroh's relationship “was the most important thing to get right.”
“It is a backbone for [Zuko’s] story arc,” Lee said. “To your search and where it begins and where it ends.”
Because while “Avatar” is a story that follows Aang (Gordon Cormier), the world's last airbender, as he discovers how to embrace his destiny and become the hero he is meant to be, it is also a story about teenagers in orbit. from Aang. carving out his own paths.
Knowing this, Liu appreciated that his “Avatar” explored Zuko and Iroh's past before what was revealed in the animated show. While there are some hints, it's not until the second season that the animation delves into the (dysfunctional) backstory of the Fire Nation royal family. And some flashbacks, like Lu Ten's funeral, are original to the adaptation.
“I was excited because there was no longer any expectation about it,” Liu said. “I think there are scenes and dialogues. [from the animated show] that people are going to look for with a certain level of expectation. But everything that is new for Zuko in our program allowed me to be an artist and creative.”
Dallas Liu, who plays Prince Zuko in “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Those moments were blank canvases that Liu enjoyed. He explained that to prepare for the younger version of Zuko in these flashbacks, she took cues from what she learned in her time on “PEN15” watching creators Maya Erskine and Anna Conkle portray high school versions of themselves.
“I think I was able to tap into that younger side of myself because I see similarities between me and Zuko,” Liu said. “Especially 14-year-old Zuko, because there's not a single bit of evil in him.”
Iroh is despondent at Lu Ten's funeral, as a procession of guests passes by to express their condolences for the death of his only son. When it's his turn, Zuko only offers the feelings expected of him at first. But then he shares more heartfelt words as he tries to comfort his uncle. It's one of the show's first looks at Zuko's humanity and ability to love.
“Dallas does a really beautiful job in the funeral scene,” Lee said. “That speech he gives is so heartbreakingly beautiful and heartwarming. He does all the heavy lifting. He just needed to react to what he was giving me.”
It's not the first time Liu has quickly responded to the compliment by expressing her own gratitude for everything she learned from Paul during their time together on set.
“Especially in that scene, and in many of our other emotional scenes, I can't emphasize how much I really trusted Paul,” Liu said. “He was always there every day to honestly support me in all of our scenes.”
Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), left, and Zuko (Dallas Liu) in “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
(Netflix)
Equally charming was when Liu attempted to credit Iroh's influence as the reason Zuko is able to open up, for a brief moment, to Aang during another episode. Lee is quick to point out that Zuko's compassion was already something within him since he was younger, as seen in flashbacks.
Lee is aware that “Avatar” fans have wondered if he would sing “Leaves From the Vine” in the series. She first appeared in season 2 of the animated series “Avatar” in an episode that shows Iroh singing the song through tears after setting up a small memorial in Lu Ten's memory on his birthday. (That segment was dedicated to Mako, Iroh's original voice actor, who had died before the episode aired.)
“I didn't want to spoil anything… but I knew there was a scene coming,” Lee said. It is one of the revelations that leads “everyone to look[ing] to Zuko differently. I love that. “This adaptation is really about subtext, past experiences, traumas, successes, failures, all of that.”
Both Liu and Lee hope that Zuko and Iroh can continue their journey.
“What I love about their relationship is that Iroh is there to give advice, but he never tells her. [Zuko] what to do,” Lee said. Zuko “has to find his own way and he supports him. …I really wish [we get] do more [seasons]because I want to see that relationship blossom even more.”
