The “Charlie’s Angels” actress plays a heartbreaking role that will generate Oscar buzz.
Lucy Liu saw her parents in a new light after her role in ‘Rosemead’
Actress Lucy Liu talks about the impact her role in the movie Rosemead had on her during a chat with USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa.
NEW YORK – Lucy Liu didn’t think about her own son, Rockwell, 10, when she played Eileen, an immigrant mother who goes to great lengths to protect her troubled son, in the drama “Rosemead” (in limited theaters Dec. 5 in New York). Instead, he realized that the film’s “greatest gift” was that it allowed him to see his parents in a new light.
“When I was a kid, I looked at my parents and understood that there were a lot of things that I didn’t receive because I couldn’t express my thoughts fluently,” Liu, 57, told USA TODAY about her mother and father. Liu’s parents are Chinese. The actress was born and raised in Queens. Liu, who has fought for more diversity in Hollywood, reflected on her upbringing and said, “I had to unlearn not only my behavior, but also a cultural system that just continued to accept condescension and racial slurs.”
“Through Irene, I’ve learned so much more about my parents than I ever have in my life, because Irene has really made me feel more compassion for them,” she continues. “The interiority of this character hasn’t left me. I want to embrace it and keep it graceful. And I think it’s helped me see them differently, and it’s going to help me see my son differently.”
Lucy Liu explains how her role in ‘Rosemead’ is different from previous films
“Rosemead,” set in a Southern California city, was inspired by a Los Angeles Times article about an immigrant mother who became terminally ill while caring for her schizophrenic son. The mother feared that her son might harm others if she wasn’t careful. So she took matters into her own hands before dying of cancer.
No spoilers, but when Liu first read the story, he was “horrified” that it actually happened. She also couldn’t believe this happened just 10 years ago.
“Since then, the pressures on young children and teens have only accelerated with social media and the pandemic,” she says, noting that people are conscious of how they present themselves and fear being vulnerable. Liu believes vulnerability is important “so there’s no stigma or shame left that makes you have to hide behind closed doors.”
Liu, whose iconic career has been defined by strong and resourceful characters in projects ranging from “Ally McBeal” to “Charlie’s Angels,” says she discovered Eileen’s strength through vulnerability.
“She had a lot of courage, and I think that love and will to live for her son really helped her overcome other things that were going on with her body,” Liu says of Irene, who had cancer. “I don’t want her legacy to be in the headlines. I want it to be more human. So I really looked at it from a different angle to show how she feels like she’s run out of options.”
Lucy Liu is making headlines for the Oscars. She said, “I don’t know what to do.”
“Rosemead” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. Liu’s performance has won awards at film festivals in Philadelphia, Miami, Denver, and Belfast. Now, there is a lot of talk about the Oscars around this actress.
“My heart is filled with pride,” she says of the award. “This film was made to be shared, and anything we can do to help, if we can do that, that would be incredible.”
Liu also serves as a producer on the film “Rosemead,” which took about eight years to make. For the actress, the film serves not only as a casting opportunity, but also as a beacon for telling the story of the communication barriers immigrants face in the health care system.
“When you look at the flaws in the health care system and how it failed (like Irene), I think there’s an undercurrent of pain,” she says. “When you watch it as a spectator, you wish it had been different.”
As the new year approaches, Liu is using his experience at Rosemead to shape his next project. But one thing remains the same. That means the actress continues to speak and act based on the causes that move her.
“We’re at a stage where art is protest,” she says. “People around the world, we are not a risk. If diversity is seen as negative or as a threat, we will live in a very diluted world. And I don’t think that’s what anyone wants.”
When it comes to expression, especially in film, Liu believes that “work is the way forward.”
“I don’t think anyone can tell other people what to do or what not to do,” she explains. “I know I’ve learned a lot from other people’s parenting and living, composting and cooking and all the other little things.
“But everything is different, and we don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. And what I want other people to take away from watching this movie is that there’s something we don’t know. We need to give others that space and know that we shouldn’t judge them. We should just wait and find out and ask questions.”
