At the 'Karate Kid: Legends' premiere, Ming-Na Wen chats with THR about why she wanted to be a part of the 'Karate Kid' franchise. Plus, she calls her co-stars Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio "gems" and calls Chan's stunt work inspiring.
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00:00All the legends are coming together. A legend in our midst. How are you doing today?
00:05I'm great. How are you? I'm good. I'm good. Neha.
00:08So nice to meet you. Listen, you've been a part of so many iconic and legendary franchises.
00:14What was it like and what was the reasoning behind being a part of this one now?
00:19Just, I mean, I was so honored that Jonathan wanted me to be cast as the mom.
00:25And, you know, I'm just thrilled to be here. I've been a fan of this franchise for so long that this, you know, sometimes it's real.
00:35It feels weird that, like, I'm having an out-of-body experience a lot of other times.
00:40And what was it like working with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan?
00:44They are gems. Gems of a human being. Both him and Ralph and Jackie here.
00:51They are so, so different as far as, you know, one is, like, the party, like, inviter.
01:02Oh, really?
01:03Yeah. Okay, who's who?
01:04Jackie, yeah.
01:05But Ralph is, like, just such a gentleman.
01:08And so, yes, he brings so much heart to this project because this franchise is his baby.
01:16And I love how he, you know, is honoring Pat Morita, Mr. Miyagi, and all that about Karate Kid.
01:28You know, he's bringing it, yeah.
01:30And working with someone like Jackie and seeing him in action,
01:34does that motivate you to push yourself when it comes to your own stunt work?
01:37Yes, yes.
01:39And, I mean, I don't have the skill sets that Jackie has or the craziness of wanting to hurt myself.
01:48But his craftsmanship and his dedication to doing the fight scenes himself in his 70s is definitely inspiring.
01:57Sure. And, you know, being a part of so many legendary franchises, playing iconic characters,
02:03what sort of legacy do you hope a film like this leaves on the audience?
02:06And I just hope they have a great time.
02:09You know, it's a wonderful summer film.
02:11And I hope it helps them to want to go back and watch the other films as well, you know,
02:17and just have this journey with Karate Kid.
02:19Yeah, for sure.
02:20Yeah, for sure.
02:21You