Avatar: The Last Airbender actor Dallas Liu explained how his live-action Prince Zuko differs from the original animated version of the character.
While many have praised the live-action Netflix adaptation of the show for its fidelity to the source material, especially on a visual level, that doesn’t mean that numerous changes haven’t been made.
The twists include King Bumi’s different personality, Princess Azula’s involvement in the Season 1 plot, Katara and Sokka’s journey to the spirit world, and more.
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Changes between Prince Zuko between live action and animation
In an exclusive interview with The Direct’s Russ Milheim, Avatar: The Last Airbender star Dallas Liu explained the differences between his Zuko and the animated series original.
The star admitted that the difference is how “he is a real person” in the live-action series as the others change “Even more comes from writing:”
“One of the biggest things is that Zuko is a real-life person coming from the animated series… I think I was trying to be a real-life version of what this character would be like; in terms of the differences, that comes more from the writing. In Season 1, you see Zuko being a jerk to his own uncle, to , who takes care of him.”
Commenting on Zuko’s treatment of Uncle Iroh, Liu admitted that he couldn’t do the same in this iteration:
“So, of course I can’t do that. Because in these upcoming episodes, you’re going to see their relationship, right? Even though he’s still like a spoiled brat, he cares about his uncle. And we see that growth in Zuko realizing that in Omashu pretty quickly and much faster than in the animated series.”
“I’ll be a dick to Paul (Sun-Hyung Lee)” the star admitted to thinking at the start of production, though that mentality quickly dissipated:
“But it’s one change that at the beginning, when I started filming, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to be Paul’s (Sun-Hyung Lee) dick in this scene.’ And then everybody reminds me, they’re like, ‘Hey, yeah, remember , that he’s the only one who’s going to support you through all of this.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s right.'”
Fans who have seen the animated series know that at one point there is a huge rift between Uncle Iron and Zuko that separates them for a while.
When Liu said that he and Lee “I haven’t discussed it” when the time comes, Liu”one can only assume it feels real:”
“We haven’t discussed it, but I can only assume it feels real. All my scenes in this series have been with Paul. So it’s hard not to work with him in these scenes because to me he feels like a backbone. That relationship is really why I think the chemistry between the two of us is what makes those scenes feel so strong.”
He described how his co-star was equally supportive “in real life and behind the scenes” as Uncle Iroh would be:
“And I’m thankful for Paul because he was so supportive when I was feeling stressed and worried, in the same way that I think Uncle Iroh would care about Zuko during those times. And then what happened in real life and behind the scenes was shown really well on camera.”
Adapting any material to different mediums can be challenging, especially when the project in question has millions of dedicated fans.
Dallas Liu echoed the sentiment, saying you have to think “How can you get the original fans excited, but also bring in new ones:”
“I totally agree. I love anime. And of course, when I watch good anime, I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, we should put this on because it’s so cool.’ It’s such a cool concept.” And if we could go live-action, maybe we can bring a bigger audience into that world. But you think about it realistically… Because in live-action, you don’t just have to think about budget VFX and single (or line-by-line) remakes. How can you get the original fans excited, but also bring in new ones?”
As for Netflix character changed, the actor showed how they handled “combination of plots in Omashu” and that there”there was a lot of room to explore” when the Tulikansa plot came:
“It’s a tough balance because in our show we combined the plots in Omashu. We all knew it was going to be difficult, but I think in many ways, how are you going to fit all three into the eight. Each of those stories was a key point in the original series that was part of the journey… Fortunately, the first of the Fire Nation animated series there aren’t many in the season. , naturally we had a lot to explore.”
As for whether he has any comforting episodes of the original series that he wants to watch, “Crossroads of Destiny” and “Zuko Alone” were two he referenced while giving credit to Zuko’s entire story in Season 2:
“‘Crossroads of Destiny’ and ‘Zuko Alone’ because that’s my character. Zuko is literally my favorite character, man… That second season, growing up and seeing the inner conflict of his character was so crazy to see because I felt like, when you’re a kid, you think , that all these experiences that happen in your life are only personal to you. But it’s so universal to so many people that when I saw that, I really connected. I was like, “I’m going through this as a teenager, right?” Like, I want to be a good person… Just like a little teenager, I want to be a mom, right?”
When asked if he has watched as well The Legend of KorraLiu confirmed that he has and remembers”the inflection looks (looks) much better:”
“Yeah, although my memory of it isn’t that good. The bending just looked so much better in ‘Korra’. And that was the whole reason I watched it, but I loved their additions of lava bending.”
Avatar: The Last Airbender now streaming on Netflix.
Read more about Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender:
Avatar Netflix DP Reveals Why Firebenders Was So Hard To Bring To Life (Exclusive)
Who is Sebastian Amorsu? 5 Things You Need to Know About Avatar’s Jet Actor From Netflix’s Live-Action Series
Avatar: The Last Airbender Netflix Season 2 Gets Exciting Update (Report)
