Dallas Liu, who plays Prince Zuko in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, shared his hopes and desires for the show’s Season 2.
Netflix’s latest television adaptation has been all the rage, dominating the pop culture conversation as the world becomes immersed in Aang, Katara, and Sokka’s journey to save their world from the Fire Nation.
The show was a hit, and the streaming network recently renewed it for both Season 2 and Season 3, allowing it to finish telling the story as first told in the original animated series.
[ Avatar Netflix Season 2 Release, Cast & Everything We Know ]
Zuko's Dallas Liu on Hopes for Season 2
Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Dallas Liu, who plays Prince Zuko in the series, sat down with The Direct’s Russ Milheim, discussing what he hopes is next for his character.
The first thing Liu really wanted to see is more of "Zuko and Azula’s mother:"
"I mean, you know, one thing you know, if we get more seasons of our show, one thing that would be really cool to me is if they touched on Zuko and Azula’s mother more in our series… That'd be cool to get to see Azula's relationship with her mom."
While The Direct's interview with Liu occurred before Netflix properly picked the series for Seasons 2 and 3, the star discussed when he thinks cameras could start rolling again if the renewal had occurred sooner rather than later.
At the time, the star’s best guess for the start of production would be "at least before August:"
"Gosh, Gordon [Cormier’s] getting so big, bro. We got to get it done. I want to say--I'd love... This is what I'm hoping for. I'm hoping that we start at least before August… I mean, we don't even know how many episodes we're going to get either…"
Most importantly, Liu is hoping that Season 2 includes "more episodes" than the eight-episode first season:
"I mean, the thing you see in the animated series is each episode becomes more and more crucial... Each one of them is that much more important, you know? Personally, I'm hoping for more episodes, actually. Just so that also things don't feel as compact and rushed… I'm hoping for 10. And then, you know, [for] the third season, there's so much going on, I feel like you have to give it if not 10, [then] 12."
By the time the closing minutes of Season 1’s finale arrived, Zuko let out a sigh, simply exclaiming, "I’m tired."
Explaining his character’s mindset in that moment, Liu elaborated that "what broke him" was realizing "he’s a puppet in all of this" and how "he’s being used:"
"I feel like Zuko realized that, you know, the world that he lives in isn't black and white… he realized everything at play in what's going on. He's realized that he's being used. He's a puppet in all of this. And I think that's what broke him."
Finding out that so many things following the Avatar’s discovery were set up by someone else "was hard for him to deal with," especially those "from his own family:"
"He genuinely believed that this was his life's path, and this is why he was brought into this world to go capture the Avatar, and it's the only way for him to regain his spot and heir to the throne, his rightful heir to the throne. But I think what got to him was the fact that every single little thing once he found the Avatar was set up by someone else. [That] was hard for him to deal with, especially being from his own family. That's what really broke him."
When Season 2 arrives, fans are dying to see one iconic Avatar character come to life: Toph, Aang’s earthbending teacher.
But have Dallas Liu and his fellow castmates discussed who they’d like to see play her?
The actor admitted that "Yeah," they have, but they "genuinely have zero clue" who would fit the role:
"Yeah, but we genuinely have zero clue. It's so hard. The character is so specific, and she's really got to have that toughness that Toph brings to the screen... I mean, the poor girl probably would have to walk around barefoot everywhere in all of our scenes. You know, she's also got to be mentally tough as a human being, as an actress at such a young age."
Liu admitted her introduction would "be exciting," especially for Gordon Cormier (who plays Aang), who would finally have someone his age to work alongside on set:
"But that'll be exciting because I think Gordon [Cormier] will be able to really have a true friend throughout that. Not that you know, Kiawentiio and me and Ian [Ousley] aren't, but like, we're certainly the older siblings. Whereas having someone the same age for Gordon, I think, would just be really nice for him to share that experience with."
On the topic of fan casting, Avatar Studios is currently working on an animated Avatar film featuring older versions of OG characters—including Zuko himself.
When asked who he’d like to see play an older version of the character one day (not including himself), Lou pointed to talented actor Charles Melton:
"I want to say, like, this guy is just a talented actor in general, so I think it'd be fun to just see his take on it, is Charles Melton right now. Like, he's got a lot of guts. And he's willing to take that extra step in terms of bringing the character to life. So he's someone that I think would be a really fun version of Zuko."
The whole discussion can be viewed here:
The Future of the Avatar Franchise on Netflix
Thankfully, Dallas Liu can now rest assured (alongside the rest of the show's fanbase) that the story of Avatar: The Last Airbender will get to play out, and he'll be able to tell Zuko's entire story for the series.
The overall success of Avatar could lead to more spin-off projects down the line. Once Avatar is over, audiences will undoubtedly want to go right over to The Legend of Korra and see her series get translated into live-action.
Regarding the more immediate future in Avatar Season 2, the most anticipated element of the upcoming story is the introduction of Toph, Aang’s earthbender teacher and good friend. However, the Avatar hasn't yet learned how to bend water from Katara.
As for Dallas Liu’s future as Zuko, hopefully, the next step in his story will be further exploration into his sibling rivalry with his sister. His character will also probably start inching closer and closer toward his big cataclysmic break with Uncle Iroh.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is now streaming on Netflix.
Check these articles out for more Avatar news:
Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action CGI Vs. Practical Effects Revealed by DP (Exclusive)
Avatar Netflix DP Reveals Why Firebenders Were So Hard to Bring to Life (Exclusive)
Avatar: The Last Airbender Netflix Ending Explained: What is Sozin's Comet?
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