Ming-Na Wen is unquestionably a Disney MVP, most notably from voicing Mulan in various projects, as well as playing Melinda May in the MCU TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And then, of course, Star Wars fans know her as Fennec Shand in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and The Bad Batch, all of which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. Ironically though, Wen’s mother gave a “condescending” reaction when she saw her playing Fennec for the first time, but what really cracks me up is the obscure movie of her daughter’s she did approve of after watching it.
How Ming-Na Wen’s Mother Reacted To The Mandalorian
The actress debuted as Fennec Shand in The Mandalorian Season 1 episode “The Gunslinger” and was initially depicted as an antagonist to Din Djarin, but later became one of his allies after her life was saved by Boba Fett. However, Wen recounted on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum that her mother, Lin Chan Wen, was less than impressed with the role. As the ER recalled:
Like Star Wars. Ok, my all-time childhood dream, come-true role is manifested. I show it to her, the series, with Chinese subtitles so she can understand what's going on. She's like "You like this Star Wars-y? You like? Why?’ It was so condescending, like she couldn't understand why I would be interested in playing that part.
Ming-Na Wen then mentioned how her mother was well aware of how much of a Star Wars fan she was even before coming aboard The Mandalorian. Now granted, not everyone’s going to be a fan of the mythology set in a galaxy far, far away, which is fine since taste is subjective. But what really astounded the younger Wen was how her mother couldn’t even “fake” enjoying the Star Wars series. I guess discussing the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows with her is off the table.
The Obscure Movie Ming-Na Wen Did That Her Mother Loved
So what is more of Lin Chan Wen’s cup of tea from her daughter’s resume? That would be a direct-to-video movie from 2012 called Super Cyclone, which Ming-Na Wen didn’t sign onto for, shall we say, artistic reasons. She continued:
Meanwhile, I did this… just for my SAG insurance when things were a little dry, I did this this kind of B-movie called Super Cyclone just to make my insurance, because it’s very very important. I had kids. And it wasn't that bad. It was okay, it was just cheesy, like a Sharknado-kind of thing. My mom calls me up and she's like ‘Ming-Na I see you in the movie on TV.’ I'm like ‘Oh which one?’ She's like "Uh, you know, the hurricane, and wonderful. I love it!’ She loved it! The one movie that I was hoping never ends up in like Red Box, that just disappears a little bit. She loved it.
Like I said, taste is subjective, but the fact that Ming-Na Wen’s mother enjoyed watching Super Cyclone so much, yet got nothing out of The Mandalorian is hilarious. The 2012 movie can be streamed for free on platforms like Pluto TV, Tubi and Prime Video if you’d like to judge it for yourself. Ming-Na Wen might not approve of that so much for movie time, but hey, at least playing Dr. Jenna Sparks helped her out during a difficult period.
With The Book of Boba Fett not getting a second season and there being no indication that Fennec Shand will appear in The Mandalorian & Grogu next year, it’s hard to say when we’ll see Ming-Na Wen in the Star Wars universe. You can, however, see her starring opposite Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio and Ben Wang in Karate Kid: Legends, now playing in theaters.
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