Martial arts, sword-fighting, horseback riding, archery and wirework are just some of the skills “Mulan” star Liu Yifei and the rest of the cast learned while filming the live-action remake.
“I loved creating the stunt sequences in the film,” director Niki Caro says in a behind-the-scenes featurette released Wednesday. “The action is explosive.”
I’ve had three months of training process,” Liu revealed. “It’s quite challenging — six or seven hours a day.”
Translating the big scale animated battles into live-action is no easy task, with a crew of elite stunt coordinators choreographing different fight sequences, sometimes involving dozens of actors.
In the clip, a harnessed Liu is seen leaping over a horde of invaders and running on rooftops and up walls. Other impressive scenes show Mulan doing a flip to deflect an incoming spear and dodging a spiked flail.
There’s an added benefit to all the training: stronger bodies.
“I’ve never ever had a six-pack in my life and I’m starting to see one come through,” jokes actor Yoson An, who plays Honghui.
Added Liu, “I can do more push-ups!”
“Mulan” opens in theaters on March 27, 2020.
Check out the featurette above.