The third season of The CW’s Kung Fu is headed our way this Wednesday, October 5 and to promote it, KSiteTV was able to speak with the series lead, the amazing Olivia Liang who plays Nicky Shen. Season 2 ended with a lot of questions… and it turns out, Olivia herself was wondering a lot of the same things we were! You can read more about Kung Fu Season 3 and see some preview images here; but if you’re here for that interview, read below!
We’ve got a bit of a Legacies reunion coming up this season. What was your reaction when you found out that Ben Levin was coming on to Kung Fu?
Pure elation!
I was really sad when when Legacies had to say goodbye, but I secretly texted my showrunners, and I was like, “if you are planning to have Nicky have a new interest in the boy department, my friend Ben is available, and it would be really awesome if we could work together again!” So I’m glad it all worked out.
What were the biggest questions you had yourself before you began shooting Season 3?
Just the basic ones, like, “what is this season going to be about?” Where are we going to see Nicky go after Season 2 ended… the powers are gone, and she’s just Nicky again, and Henry left her. And then we saw what we think is Pei-Ling back! So, simple questions about story. [Laughs]
Just before we did this interview, The CW released a description that suggests Nicky will end up in Thailand. Does this mean we might see her and Henry interacting again before too long?
I think it’s safe to say that the moment will be very intense and very charged. They have a lot to talk about, because it’s been four months of of no communication with each other.
Is it different to not have so many scenes with Eddie Liu, as you did in previous seasons?
Yeah! I mean, it was really helpful for for my, my work as Nicky, because my work husband is gone. 85% of my scenes in the first two seasons were with him, and like 99% of his scenes were with me. It was definitely like a big shift to not have Eddie’s energy around, but it was really helpful as Nicky to feel that absence. But you know he won’t be gone for long.
Is Nicky confused by the thoughts that she has when she first meets Bo?
I think she’s not even letting that happen. She’s not even going there. It’s with Althea being like “Nicky! He’s hot. You should go for it. You haven’t heard from Henry in a few months!” that Nicky finally is like, “okay, maybe I’ll explore moving on.”
She’s just been mending this broken heart for four months, not knowing if she’s supposed to wait for Henry because they didn’t really break up… he was just like, “I gotta go” and she was like,” I get it. Go.” So yeah, it’s a little bit more complicated.
But I think Bo’s interesting, he’s handsome, he’s really good at fighting, and also other things. So why not?
And you knew each other in another life, apparently!
I know. We go mad at ourselves, because in that scene where they finally meet, we were like, “oh, we should have done for the blooper reel when he says, ‘who are you?’ I should have said ‘Alyssa Chang’!” We were kicking ourselves for not thinking of that sooner.
Can you tease Nicky’s encounter with this woman who appears to be Pei-Ling?
Yeah. It’s really emotional when she finally sees who she hopes is her Shifu back in the flesh. After everything that happened in Season 2, I think there’s definitely that underlying feeling of “is this Xiao? Is this too good to be true? How is this happening?”
It’s definitely a really emotional reunion for Nicky to see this person who became her maternal figure for three years and taught her so much about herself, especially in the state that we see her in. She’s very confused. Very feral. We’re just not sure who’s in there. It’s going to be really emotional and heart wrenching for the fans to see.
What is the vibe filming a third season compared to when you were just starting up in Season 1? Season 1 was even shot at the height of COVID, wasn’t it?
Yeah. The vibes are awesome this season. We didn’t have too long of a hiatus, with being pulled up to the Fall schedule, so that was exciting. We got to get most of our crew back, and they’ve really become our family.
And the world is also opening up a little bit, so that we can do more bonding things as a cast. We hung out with only each other in Seasons 1 and 2, and mostly in people’s apartments, but now we have friends from other shows that are up here, like Nancy Drew, and a couple of friends in Alaska Daily, so it’s been fun to hang out with other people and bond in that way. Season 3 just has a really excited energy, which I think is reflecting in the work as well.
Have you and your Nancy Drew friends expressed any desire to do a crossover episode?
Absolutely. We’re ready to take on a mystery together. I think they could use each other.
How long do you think we’ll have to wait to find out how we’ll ever see Zhilan again?
Not long!
For the Nicky and Henry shippers, is all hope lost?
No. No way! I think they’ll see when they when they reunite, there’s love there, and there’s a deep, deep understanding. They’ve been through so much together, and Henry’s been the one who was right there the whole time, since Season 1, so all hope is definitely not lost. But will they get back together this season? Will they get back together, ever? Those are the questions I can’t answer.
All I know is, personally I’m excited for for Nicky to date a new boy, because Henry was the first boy to say hello to her after she spent three years with only women at a monastery and she started dating him, so I think she needs to explore what else is out there, and then maybe they get back together
Is it true you are a Sebastian/Mei-Li shipper?
I will shout it from the Hollywood sign! Yes. I’ve said it: Sebastian checks the box that Jin doesn’t necessarily check for Mei-Li, and it’s a big box. She loves her creativity in the kitchen. And he loves her restaurant. It’s her life’s work, and there’s a partner for her in that kitchen that is very, very good for her. So, you know, I’m just saying…
But what about Ryan?
You know, he can deal. He’s young. He’ll bounce back.
Can you tease anything about Kim Rhodes’ character?
Oh, it’s so fun to have her on the show. Shannon and I FREAKED OUT. We are big, big Disney Channel girls, and I’ve seen every single episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody… the Suite Life on Deck… the movie crossover… we love the Suite Life, so to have her join us was so fun. She is a friend and a foe to Mei-Li, and she’s got a big hand in in Harmony Dumplings this season. It’s fun to watch her interact with with Mei-Li.
What would you personally say to folks who are thinking about checking out Season 3?
We keep getting better and better. This season is going to blow your mind. I think we have a perfect mix of heart, and humor, and passion, and magic, and really, really high stakes. Whatever you could want in a show, you will find here, and it just gets better and better. I’m really excited for people to check it out.
Kung Fu returns for Season 3 Wednesday night, October 5 on The CW.
