Avatar: The Last Airbender has dominated the pop culture conversation since Season 2 debuted on Netflix in June, which shouldn't be a surprise given how beloved the original animated series is (whose legacy will continue in a new series). Season 2 adapted Book 2 from the original show and the story of Ba Sing Se, a fan-favorite location and story, with memories kept alive by one key line: "There is no war in Ba Sing Se."
Any Avatar fan will recognize that line the moment it is said, and the first person to utter it in the live-action version of Book 2 was none other than Amanda Zhou's Joo Dee. Not only does she get to deliver that line, but the actor also delivers the season's best performance as he character is brainwashed in the prisons below Omashu.
The Direct spoke with Zhou in an interview, where the actor broke down her performance and also opened up about the show's sets and costumes. The Direct also previously spoke with Avatar: The Last Airbender actor Thalia Tran, who teased what Season 3 has in store for Mai and Zuko.
Joo Dee's Amanda Zhou Breaks Down Her Season 2 Role
"I Think We All Have Our Traums..."
- The Direct: "I honestly do think that you gave one of the best performances of the season in that jail cell, when you're being brainwashed. Can you talk about crafting that particular performance, and what it was like making that scene a reality?"
Amanda Zhou: Oh, thank you so much. I think we all have our traumas, and I think when you do your research and you kind of look within... Because I know that acting may be pretend, but I also think you draw from real-life experiences, and you either imagine, like, oh, if this experience were to go that way, how would I feel, or what's the closest thing where I feel this kind of pain? And I think it's just drawing [from that and] going to those places, and without taking it to making it too precious, and I think just drawing from that, and having that come out.
"I think there's this innocence to Joo Dee, because she really just wants to make her tribe and her kingdom proud," Zhou elaborated:
Zhou: And this is why I think there's this innocence to Joo Dee, because she really just wants to make her tribe and her kingdom proud, and now she's being punished for something because she wasn't watching the kids properly, and she just.. there's a bit of that reflection of shame culture, and all of that, and I think there's something so endearing and heartbreaking about her.
- The Direct: "You were the first person I think fans saw you say the iconic line, 'There is no war in Ba Sing Se.' How much pressure was there when you were like, "Oh gosh, I'm going to be the one saying this."
Zhou: There's a bit of pressure, and I think the goal is to not overthink it, because sometimes overthinking it, and then trying to say it, you make it worse. But I think it's really cool to see —When the Joo Dees are being trained in the training camp in the anime, like this is what they're practicing to say, and to see it in the live action of what the result of that is.
- The Direct: "What would you say was the most surprising challenge you faced?"
Zhou: I think the most challenging moment was to keep her contained... I think it's very easy to just do a big, wide smile, and be like everything's okay, and it's almost robotic, and that's the problem. If you do it too much, you're just copying the anime, and it's very put-on. And so I think it's finding that balance of what is realistic... and to make it authentic. So, it's finding that, but without letting go of her essence from the anime. So, I think that was just—I was constantly practicing. Also, physically, my cheeks, after a whole day of filming, were very tired from all the smiling. But yeah, I would say finding the balance of showing, but not showing too much, while keeping her nature.
Being in Awe of Avatar: The Last Airbender's Sets & Costumes
"You Feel This Nostalgic Feeling..."
- The Direct: "With the show's sets, were you ever just lost in awe?"
Amanda Zhou: I would be like taking a photo, because I would appreciate—One of my favorite parts was the metal pot. I'm like, whoa, this represents, you know, whether it's late 1800s, 1900s, around that time, because I imagine with the empire and having an emperor like that kind of era, that past, and just to see this, you're like, so this is a taste of what it could have, or what it might have been like. And you feel this nostalgic feeling, without, you know, having been from there, obviously, but you just have this sense of, I don't know if nostalgia is the right word, but... You're just reminiscing about what it could have been, and you're here, and you kind of think about what had been, what it was like for those people and our ancestors living in this life. So it's just super cool.
- The Direct: "When it comes to the show's costumes, what was it like when you first put your own on?"
Zhou: I think it just brings me back to, once again, that kind of era. It all comes full circle. It's all connected. But it was just really special, because it's like—I also love period pieces, so to be able to wear that, it was just like amazing. And it was also really funny, because it was very structured, the costume, and with the sleeves, but there wasn't much elbow shoulder room, so every time when I had to take it off, I needed one of the the costume designers to help. And I literally felt like a child because I had to lift my hands up while they like take it off of me, because I couldn't get my elbow through myself. So, it was really funny, but I was in awe of everything. There are not enough words to express my joy and appreciation for the details.
