Lucy Liu is known for gracing the silver screen with roles as a sword-wielding Yakuza assassin in the cult classic Kill Bill:Vol. 1 and a bombshell spy in the blockbuster franchise Charlie’s Angels. But in her newest film Rosemead, Liu confronts not rivals nor stunts, but the reality of a Chinese American mother facing cancer and navigating her son’s schizophrenia diagnosis.

In an interview with Parade, Liu expressed her excitement over the film as both a producer and actress. The star said she had worked on the project for over seven years, before the film made its premiere this June at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

“To have this opportunity to do something that shows that this is why I’m here gives me such joy,” she added. “I really think that my best work is ahead of me, and I’m excited to share that with audiences.”

The film is based on the harrowing real-life story written by Frank Shyong for the Los Angeles Times in 2017. Liu emphasized the film’s message about mental health in the interview, expressing hope that it would help shed light on this important issue.

“There is a stigma attached to mental health, and there’s a lot of excuses about stress and pressure…It’s an awful true story, and we want to show that we don’t have to take drastic measures like she did in my character’s portrayal of what happened. It’s important to connect and communicate and not be afraid to talk about it,” she said.

Liu told Parade she was moved by the film’s relatable portrayal of Asian-Americans and how the movie differed from previous ones made about the community.

“People love to watch kung fu or action movies, or they love Crazy Rich Asians because it’s so blingy and fun and over the top and amazing, which I love too,” she said.[Rosemead] is a story about our community, and I think the main takeaway is really understanding that there are stories out there that we don’t hear and that we don’t know about. I think having this out there will help. If it helps any family or anybody know they’re not alone and that there is help that’s out there, that’s going to be a huge prop.”

Liu said in the interview with Variety she drew on her own experiences and Chinese heritage to connect more with her character, Irene.

“I really borrowed from relatives and family members in my own life: physicalities, the way the slang would be, and the customs, the culture, the sequestering of what really happened because of the ‘saving face’ culture,” she said.

Eric Lin, director of Rosemead and seasoned cinematographer, spoke to Parade about how the setting informed real-life counterpart’s struggles.

“It took place in San Gabriel Valley,” he continued, “and this is a place that has a huge ethnic enclave of Chinese. She had many opportunities to seek help. It wasn’t just a language barrier in that area, but because of the shame and the cultural isolation that was imposed on her, she felt like she couldn’t reach out.”

Liu told Variety about the impact of the role on her life.

“It was so gut-wrenching from a cellular level that I haven’t actually done anything since then, because it was just so intense,” she added. “I really needed to take a break after that and just reset, because I think it did something for me, on a much deeper level than I thought it would. It changed me.”

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