Callina Liang has built a career across film, television, and theatre, taking on characters that challenge her understanding of identity, emotion, and human behaviour. Born in Vancouver and raised between different countries, including China, the actress brings her varied experiences into her performances. Her credits include Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, the thriller Bad Genius, and the British teen drama Tell Me Everything. Now, she takes on one of gaming’s most recognisable characters, Chun-Li, in the film adaptation of Street Fighter, directed by Kitao Sakurai.
INTERVIEWS
For Liang, playing Chun-Li carries a personal significance. Having grown up with the video game, she remembers looking up to the character as a young girl and recognising herself in a powerful Chinese female protagonist. Preparing for the role required extensive research into the game’s history, alongside intensive martial arts and stunt training. The experience introduced her to new physical capabilities and a more complex understanding of Chun-Li’s emotional motivations, particularly her grief, anger, and determination to avenge her father’s death.
In conversation with DSCENE‘s Katarina Doric, Liang reflects on the responsibility of portraying a character with an established fan base, the physical demands of Street Fighter, and how her upbringing shaped her independence. She also discusses her approach to acting, the difficulty of leaving characters behind, and her desire to continue exploring unfamiliar stories as her career develops.
You’ve worked across horror, drama and now large-scale action. What usually makes you feel that a character is worth saying yes to? – When the storyline and the character’s journey is intriguing to me, that’s always worth saying yes to. Something that made me want to become an actor since day one was how I’m able to experience the lives of different people and somehow still bring a piece of myself to the table. So if I’m intrigued by a character’s story, or how they fit into a storyline that is interesting, I’ll always say yes and dive in.
It still feels surreal that I got to play a character who was such an idol to me.
Has your approach to acting changed as the projects have become bigger and the expectations around you have grown? – I don’t think so, and I’d like to keep it that way. I approach every single project and character with the same mindset and work on their breakdowns and find out their motivations all the same, regardless of how big the production might be. However, acting is a craft that I will never truly master and I can confidently say that my view on the craft has changed significantly over the last five years. I hope it will keep changing and evolving for the better, but to me, no matter how big the project is, it still is a story that needs to be told and I’ll always do my best to tell it.
You were born in Vancouver and spent part of your childhood in China. How has growing up between different places shaped you, both personally and creatively? – I am definitely very grateful for the upbringing I’ve had, even though during it, it felt challenging at times. I remember as soon as I made a group of friends in a school I’d be moving again, but now looking back, it has shaped me into someone who is extremely independent and rarely any situation intimidates me. I also think it enriched my craft dramatically as an actor, as I believe that acting is about pouring your life experiences into the character and moulding it into what the script requires it to be. And because I got to live and grow up in so many places, it widened my experiences as a person and I now have more to draw from.
It wasn’t easy but it was definitely therapeutic to play a character with a lot of rage.
Do you find it easy to leave a character behind once filming ends, or do certain roles tend to stay with you? – I think there’s always a part of me that’s sad when saying goodbye to a character. Ultimately it is someone you have lived and breathed for the past however many weeks you have been filming but it’s bittersweet. I know once one door closes another one opens and it’s always exciting not knowing whose shoes I’ll get to explore next.
You grew up playing Chun-Li in Street Fighter. What did you remember about her from childhood, and what did you discover about her once you began preparing to play her? – I just remember being extremely excited that there was someone who looked like me on a video game of such a big scale. Chun Li, not only being described as ‘the strongest woman in the world’ but also being Chinese made me look up to her as a little girl. It still feels surreal that I got to play a character who was such an idol to me, but funnily enough I found a lot more in common with her than I initially thought. And that aside from all the crazy cool costumes and moves she has, she is just a girl trying to navigate her emotions and her way through the world that she exists in.
I will forever be grateful to what this project taught me about my strength.
Chun-Li comes with decades of history and a fan base that knows every detail. How did you balance that responsibility with finding your own version of the character? – I just did as much research as I could and trusted my instincts when it came to playing her. I went back and noted down all the lore I could find on her character through mangas, gameplay and the anime movie, and the rest I put together from reading the script and understanding her circumstances and emotional motivations. Kitao was an amazing director to collaborate with as well, we sat down on many occasions just trying to find the version of her that we saw in the final film and I definitely brought a lot of myself to the table too. It wasn’t easy but it was definitely therapeutic to play a character with a lot of rage.
The physical preparation for Street Fighter was intense. How did martial arts training and changing the way you use your body affect your performance beyond the fight scenes? – I will forever be grateful to what this project taught me about my strength. I was amazed at how capable my body was and how fast I picked up on moves and while it wasn’t easy, I enjoyed every single second of it. Everyday I looked forward to training in stunts in the morning, it truly is therapeutic and now I train in Muay Thai at least three times a week. It also taught me that I can always be stronger, and that not only will it help me in future action projects but it’ll also mean I can be mobile and functional when I’m older.
Hopefully audiences sees a new version of her that is rage-fuelled, unhinged, and also vulnerable.
Was there a particular Chun-Li move, stance or detail from the games that you were determined to get right on screen? – I think I was determined to get all of it right, from her moves to her stances to her physique and her story, I didn’t want to miss a single detail.
After spending so much time with Chun-Li, what do you think audiences often misunderstand about her that you hope the film gets to show? – I think this film shows a human side to Chun Li that people can hopefully sympathise and empathise with. In this film it is also her mission to avenge her father’s death so she’s juggling a lot of emotions. Especially having to work undercover for Bison – the very man that killed her father. So hopefully audiences sees a new version of her that is rage-fuelled, unhinged, and also vulnerable.
As long as I get to keep exploring stories that intrigues and challenges me, I’ll be forever grateful.
You’re entering a very different stage of your career now. What do you want to protect about the way you work as more attention comes your way? – To me I just hope I get to keep doing what I love, which is acting; diving into different stories and characters and having as much fun as I can while working hard. I’m excited for all the new skills I’ll pick up, especially if one project like Street Fighter taught me so much. As long as I get to keep exploring stories that intrigues and challenges me, I’ll be forever grateful.
Photography and Creative Direction Jemima Marriott
Stylist: Zoe James
Stylist Assistant: Tilly Hopcraft Jones
Hair Shanice Noel at Stella Creative Artists
Makeup Olly Fisk at Stella Creative Artists
Talent Callina Liang at Dane Punch PR
