Ming-Na Wen, the voice behind Disney's original animated Mulan, commented on the decision to exclude the infamous hair-cutting scene from the highly anticipated live-action remake in recent interview.
In the 1998 classic, Mulan cut her hair off in order to pose as a young man and take her father's place within the Chinese army. Though the scene has since been criticized for its historical inaccuracy, the LGBTQIA representation was thought to be ahead of its time when fans first witnessed this iconic scene. Audiences were surprised to find this moment missing from the live-action film (along with other key missing elements from the original). Wen weighed in on the missing scene when speaking with the NYT, stating, "I hope everyone will still have a little place in their hearts for the animated Mulan. I mean, at least she cut her hair!"
Wen didn't state whether she thought the scene's removal was wrong, but she did praise the original film and recalled the unplanned impact the scene had. "Beautiful young women and boys from the LGBTQ community would come up to me crying because Mulan was representation for them...they latched on to the images of her transforming herself into a boy."
The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actress first became involved with the live-action remake when fans begged her to join the cast on social media. Eventually, their efforts proved successful, prompting Wen to reach out to her agents and managers. Mulan producer Jason Reed and director Niki Caro came up with the idea for Wen to cameo as "Esteemed Guest", introducing Mulan to the Chinese Emperor. Wen was excited to return to the franchise, stating, "I thought that was very appropriate and just wonderful, a little Easter egg where I could pass the baton."
Directed by Niki Caro, Disney's live-action Mulan stars Yifei Liu as Mulan, Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan and Yoson An as Chen Honghui, with Gong Li as Xianniang and Jet Li as the Emperor. The film is now available through Premier Access on Disney+, but will be free to stream for all Disney+ subscribers on December 4.