Ming-Na Wen is unquestionably a Disney MVP, most notably from voicing Mulan in various projects, as well as playing Melinda May in the MCU TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And then, of course, Star Wars fans know her as Fennec Shand in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and The Bad Batch, all of which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. Ironically though, Wen’s mother gave a “condescending” reaction when she saw her playing Fennec for the first time, but what really cracks me up is the obscure movie of her daughter’s she did approve of after watching it.
How Ming-Na Wen’s Mother Reacted To The Mandalorian
The actress debuted as Fennec Shand in The Mandalorian Season 1 episode “The Gunslinger” and was initially depicted as an antagonist to Din Djarin, but later became one of his allies after her life was saved by Boba Fett. However, Wen recounted on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum that her mother, Lin Chan Wen, was less than impressed with the role. As the ER recalled:
Like Star Wars. Ok, my all-time childhood dream, come-true role is manifested. I show it to her, the series, with Chinese subtitles so she can understand what’s going on. She’s like “You like this Star Wars-y? You like? Why?’ It was so condescending, like she couldn’t understand why I would be interested in playing that part.
upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows with her is off the table.
The Mandalorian & Grogu next year, it’s hard to say when we’ll see Ming-Na Wen in the Star Wars universe. You can, however, see her starring opposite Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio and Ben Wang in Karate Kid: Legends, now playing in theaters.