Marvelous Ming

Marvelous Ming

by Melissa Fales

For actress Ming-Na Wen, one of the most engaging things about portraying master martial artist Melinda May on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the last five years has been the need to continuously adapt to the evolution and growth of the character. “Agent May started off being very mysterious and standoffish,” she says. “Initially, she had a different agenda. But ultimately, the true nature of Agent May is that she’s extremely loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D., and she truly cares for and loves her S.H.I.E.L.D. family.”

Born in Macau, Wen moved to the U.S. as a young girl. She made her television debut on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in 1985 and hasn’t stopped acting since. Among her acting achievements are a regular role on the soap As the World Turns, playing Dr. Jing-Mei Chen on the popular medical drama ER, starring in the 1993 film The Joy Luck Club, and voicing Fa Mulan in the animated film Mulan, released in 1998.

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of Mulan, based on an ancient Chinese tale about a girl who pretends to be a boy in order to join the army and help to fend off the invading Huns in her father’s place. “Being involved with Mulan was an incredible thrill,” says Wen. “I grew up with the folklore of Fa Mulan. She’s the Joan of Arc of China. It’s a story I’ve loved since I was a little girl.”

Wen says she’s proud of the film’s staying power. “For Mulan to have held up 20 years later and to have such an impact on young girls, and boys, too, is something special,” she says. “It continues to have an impact. It inspires young girls to be brave and strong. It inspires boys to respect them for that. It’s even crossed over into the gay and lesbian community. It’s a wonderful honor to be a part of something that has meant so much to so many people.”

Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet gave Wen the chance to reprise her role as the voice of Mulan. “I was thrilled to be a part of it,” she says. “I was an arcade girl. I grew up with all of those arcade characters. I went every single day with my boyfriend. We plunked down a lot of quarters.”

Wen says she approaches voice-over work the same way she would approach an on-camera acting job. “For me, it’s about figuring out what the character is doing,” she says. “What is the emotional aspect behind them? How are they feeling? What are they feeling?” Sometimes, she admits she appreciates the opportunity to be hidden. “The great thing about voice-over is that you don’t have to worry about your waistline or if you’re having a bad hair day,” she says. “That’s why I do so many of them. You can work on five or six projects simultaneously and you can do the work for a few episodes in one sitting.”

Ironically, she adds, Mulan actually took five years to make, from start to finish. “We were recording for three years,” she says. Wen says the film was a tremendous achievement in its accurate portrayal of the story beloved by generations. “Disney took a risk with Mulan,” she says. “Pam Coates, Barry Cook, and Tony Bancroft did an amazing amount of research in order to stay true to the Chinese cultural history of the story. All of the time they invested into making sure everything was accurate made all the difference.”

Free time isn’t something Wen has a lot of, but when she’s not acting, this busy mom is often working on her lifestyle blog, Wenever. “It’s advice for people who want to find the fountain of youth,” she says. She offers tips on topics such as time management, managing stress, nutrition, and exercise. “It’s about a healthy lifestyle,” she says. “It’s about helping people accomplish their goals and dreams, look their best, feel their best, and discover their best selves in their own way.”

Wen’s newest project is Fresh Off the Boat¸ a show about Asian-Americans new to the country. “I’m so happy that the opportunity worked out for me, scheduling-wise, to be a part of this show,” says Wen. “I love doing comedy. One of my first jobs was a sitcom called Single Guy with Ernest Borgnine and Jonathan Silverman and it was a lot of fun.” Wen says she enjoys the change of pace from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “I don’t get to make people laugh on S.H.I.E.L.D.,” she says. “I appreciate any moments when we get to lighten the mood. It’s so rare.”

I’ve always been a nerd and a geek. I was president of the science fiction club in high school. It’s funny to me when art imitates life because I feel like this genre was attracted to me as much as I was attracted to it growing up.”

While she enjoys working in comedy, Wen confesses that comics and science fiction have always held a special place in her heart and that’s why she enjoys playing Agent May so much. “I’ve always been a nerd and a geek,” she says. “I was president of the science fiction club in high school. It’s funny to me when art imitates life because I feel like this genre was attracted to me as much as I was attracted to it growing up.”

Despite all of Agent May’s toughness, she’s become the show’s key maternal figure. “I know it’s been a surprise for May’s fans to see how she’s become the protector of her cubs,” says Wen. “It’s so great for me because I get to play this really kick-ass character on the surface who is very stoic and not very pleasant. But we’ve all come to realize that deep down inside, her heart is true and she’s very loving in her own way.” Wen acknowledges that fans of the show are anxiously waiting to learn what really happened in the Season 5 finale, but she was unable to offer up any answers. “One of the things I’m able to say is that Coulson appears to have died,” Wen says. “The big question is: Did he really die? This is a character who has died many times.”

Wen says the show’s writers and executive producers deserve kudos for keeping it so fresh and entertaining for the viewers. “We had some rough spots the first year,” she acknowledges. “We were still figuring out who was supposed to be the target audience. In the beginning, it was geared towards a younger group. In reality, our fan base is more akin to people who relish Marvel and the darker elements of it.”

Additionally, says Wen, the show needed to find its place. “It had to tie in with the Marvel Universe, but still stand on its own,” she says. “I don’t know how the writers do it. There’s a very fine line there. They’re also great at surprising our very smart audience. They can keep our fans completely unaware that something’s happening until it happens. I think that’s part of the joy of being a Marvel fan, to be outsmarted and surprised.”

For more information about Ming-Na Wen, visit Wenever.com. •