Elizabeth Yu is bringing the heat in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. 

In Netflix’s new live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender, the actress dons the role of Azula, princess to the Fire Nation and foil to her brother Zuko (Dallas Liu) and our protagonists of the story, namely Aang (Gordon Cormier), Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley). Yu brings Azula to life with depth and thoughtfulness that has never been previously explored. Fans of the original cartoon will be pleased to see that their favourite cold, conniving (and downright psychotic) princess will be given so much more to do. In Book One of the animated series, we see nothing of Azula, but with this fresh retelling, we’re able to see the seeds of ambition, what drives her, the fraying away of her psyche, and everything that leads up to that inevitable breaking point. Yu plays it beautifully, through subtle facial expressions, to her graceful line delivery, we’re able to get a glimpse of what life is like for Azula back home in the Fire Nation while she plots and schemes her way into her father’s good books.

Yu knows what this story means to people being a fan of the animation herself. And while the fandom has been hurt by live-action in the past (we’re looking at you, 2010 adaptation), this series is being told by the fans for the fans. There isn’t a facet of this show that hasn’t been given the attention and love that it deserves; like most retellings, The Last Airbender will not be beat for beat of the animated original but will breathe new life into a story we know and love. With that in mind, Yu cannot be prouder of the series and hopes that new and old fans alike will love it just as much as she loved making it.     

In conversation with 1883 Magazine’s Dana Reboe, Yu discusses how she’s feeling about her whirlwind success, working on two massive hits like May December and The Last Airbender, what element she would bend, how she handles imposter syndrome, and so much more. 

Life has been crazy for you lately between May December and now Avatar: The Last Airbender. How are you feeling? 

How to put it into words? It’s insane. I feel so blessed. I get impostor syndrome all the time; all the craziness that’s been happening doesn’t feel like it’s happening to me. You know, I have to separate myself from it all. It’s incredible.

I’m sure seeing all the billboards with the shows you’re in must be an out-of-body experience.

It’s crazy. I’m waiting for when I go back home to New York, and hopefully, I’ll be able to see some Avatar ones while I’m there. I’ll probably tear up. [laughs]

Take me back to the audition process for The Last Airbender. Did you know right off the bat, what you were auditioning for? Or did they keep it a secret?

They gave me a completely different project name, storyline, and character background. I had no idea when I first read, but for some reason, something within me was like, ‘That’s a codename. I feel it.’ Once I got farther in the audition process, I thought, ‘I know what this is!’ And then they sent my second to last audition, word for word from the original show, just to see if I could do the original material. And so, at that point I was like, ‘You don’t have to put on a show anymore, I figured it out!’ 

And when you officially booked it?

Albert (Kim) called me and said, ‘I think you know what this is for.’ And I was like, ‘I do!’ [laughter]

Avatar: The Last Airbender is so beloved. What are you most excited to see as a fan? And what are you excited for the audience to see?

Excited to see what we’ve done or what we might do in the future?

What you might do in the future.

Hopefully, if we get to Season Two–

We’re speaking it into existence.

Absolutely! Seasons two and three would be great. The Ember Island episode where they’re all at the beach; that campfire scene has so much character development, it’s insane, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Favourite scene I’m excited for everybody to see… [Elizabeth thinks for a second] I’m excited for people to see our take on this world and making it more plot-driven. I’m excited to hear what people think about what we’ve chosen to keep in and get rid of and how they think it works. I’m so proud of the way that it’s turned out. But yeah, I’m excited to hear the feedback.

Well, I can tell you my feedback: I thought it was incredible.

Thank you!

Not sure if this is a spoiler since this will be out when the show premieres, but what hooked me was seeing the Air Nomads being wiped out in the first episode. We didn’t see much in the animated series, but this was very graphic, and while I was watching, I was like, ‘Oh, so they’re not afraid to go there.’

That was so important to show because it kind of grounds the audience to be like, ‘Okay, now we know what we’re dealing with, and what the stakes are’, it sets everything up perfectly. 

I agree. And I know the internet is worried about some of the changes that’ll be made, but I thought they served the story well. It’s important to remember this is not a direct retelling. One change I really loved was that Azula was given more to do. You gave her so much depth. Other than the original series, what did you do to bring her to life? And did you touch base with Grey DeLisle at all?

Oh, my gosh, thank you for saying that. First, that means a lot to me. I sent Grey a DM but I think it must have been filtered out. I’m absolutely obsessed with her work. She’s so iconic, hopefully, somewhere down the line with the release of this show, I’ll be able to meet her. That’ll be like an absolute dream come true. I’m so excited. I’ve watched all the videos of people meeting her at cons and stuff like that, getting her to read those iconic lines, I’m getting butterflies! 

I think with the success of the show, that’s definitely on the cards! Two Azulas in one room, I don’t know if we could take the heat [laughter]. Circling back, how did you prepare for the role? How did you put your spin on her?

Albert Kim, our showrunner, kept saying, ‘The original show is the sacred text. We’re going to abide by that as much as we can’ I think that just rewatching the show helped and then there are a lot of these YouTube videos where that are over an hour long that go into the psychology of Zuko and Azula. I watched those religiously, I used those as my toolkit. We also had an awesome onset acting coach, Lee Hutton, who helped a lot. The only way to make these cartoon characters really human is to delve into the way that their mind works.

I caught myself a couple of times, throughout the first few episodes feeling (a little) sorry for Azula. She’s trying so hard to do well in her father’s eyes, and seek his approval, but keeps falling flat. You play it so well.

It’s important to note that she and Zuko, at the end of the day, want the same things. You see Azula in this first season mirrors the second season of the animated series, you see her kind of go crazy. You see that slow build-up; she starts out not that crazy and then gets pushed to that breaking point.

Switching it up a little bit; if you could choose an element to bend that’s not fire, what would you choose and why?

I vibe with water. I also think the whole blood-bending thing is sick and swamp-bending [laughter] here are so many different things, healing, too! That’s a big one! That would be iconic. If I could be a healer? It’s so useful in battle because you can continuously heal yourself if you’re hurt. Water is so OP (overpowered). 

What about Azula captivated you?

Oh, good question. I remember getting that dummy audition and the character description was Azula. It just fit her. I’ve never auditioned for a character like that. I probably sent out like 400 Auditions before booking Avatar. I’ve never had a character who was a young Asian woman who was smarter and better than everybody else. She is confident and conniving and is just desperate for power. Who wouldn’t want to play a badass?

You said in an interview with IndieWire that your imposter syndrome was massive. In those moments, how do you talk yourself out of it? Or do you just let it pass?

There’s something very grounding and humbling about imposter syndrome. You know, there’s a balance of being able to reward yourself and congratulate yourself for the work that you’ve done, but also understand that the amount of attention that these projects are getting has very little to do with you and has to do with a lot of other people who have worked on them. It’s a mixture and I think impostor syndrome comes through not knowing where that line is between the two, so I think that’s what I struggle with. I don’t have any ego; I say my pleases and thank yous, I’m not going to be that person, and then on the other side of the coin, I did a good job, and I should be proud of myself. I think that especially spending time with my friends from home and being home with the cats and stuff like that, those are moments where I can look at the big picture and be like, I did a good job I should be proud of myself and let’s move on to the next thing.

What have you learned about yourself working on projects like May December and The Last Airbender?

The number of Asian pros I’ve gotten to work with on these projects is a huge, huge part of my proud-to-be Asian journey. I grew up in a white town and I’m half Korean half white. Before I filmed May December or started work on ATLA, I’d never been in a room with more than 15 Asian people. Also, we filmed in Vancouver and the Asian community out there is huge as well. It was amazing getting to talk to people like me and having these conversations I’ve never had before. And in May December, I worked with other half-Korean actors as well. And having this feeling of family with these people, there are many layers to it; not only being Asian, and presenting predominantly Asian, but also being a mixed kid and having that white side of you and then the Asian side of you. These two projects have been so, so integral to me being so proud and loving that part of myself that I, for the majority of my early life, hated. It’s been amazing. It’s like that’s the greatest gift I could have asked for.

It’s so incredible to see these stories come to life with the proper representation they deserve. With films like May December and shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender hopefully, we’re on the road to seeing more. If you had the chance to work with any actor living or dead, who would it be and why? And what would the dream project be?

I’m really getting stumped by this one [laughter].

Do you want to come back to it?

Okay, can I choose two?

You can choose two.

Beyonce, please. Renaissance. Act Two. I’m waiting for it. And number two would be Andrew Scott. He’s absolutely killing it. In another life, I wish I could go back in time, and watch his Vanya that he did. He did a one man show of Vanya. Oh, and his Hamlet, too! 

It’s good to see him getting his flowers recently. Did you see him in Sherlock at all?

Yes! 13-year-old Lizzy was a SuperWhoLock girl. Do you know what that is?

Of course, I was on Tumblr in those days. I love Doctor Who.

Oh, don’t even get me started on Doctor Who. 

Well, now I have to ask who’s your favourite Doctor? 

Good God, you’re going to get me in trouble. I have to say Matt Smith, but David Tennant is fantastic, too. Like, let’s put some respect on his name. But yeah, I’d definitely have to say the Matt Smith run is my favourite.

Have you caught up? 

I’m not caught up. 

Okay. I won’t say anything. Not a word. Nothing.

I appreciate it [laughter].

Pivoting back – your career is flourishing. What is one hope you have for the future?

Something great about working on Avatar and May December was this sense of family with cast and crew members and the directors and Albert (Kim) showrunner. Both are some of the first projects I’ve ever gotten the chance to work on. You’re able to have this connection with these people. That’s why I love acting; we’re in this together. Let’s make something cool. That’s what makes me want to keep doing it. That’s a goal of mine – to keep making cool things. And I always learn so many new things, all different aspects of my life on every project, I’ve been blessed to be able to work with some amazing people. I just want to accumulate as many of those special moments onset as possible.

And my last question is, what is something you’d like to manifest for yourself this year?

I would like to manifest being booked and blessed, not being too hard on myself, and living my life to the fullest.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is out now on Netflix.

Interview Dana Reboe
Styling Laura Spriet
Photography Julia Sariy
Make-up Yumi Nagashima
Hair Nami Harada