Dianne Doan as ‘Mai Ling’ in Shannon Lee-executive produced series ‘Warrior’
From the writings of Bruce Lee and executive produced by Shannon Lee, ‘Warrior’ is the television drama you need to see. Centered on the gang wars in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the late 1800s, the show’s characters are certainly not your model minority.
Throughout the three seasons of ‘Warrior’, we watch ‘Mai Ling’, of the Long Zi tong, navigate a hostile inter-tong fight for power, money, influence, and territory as she comes into her own power through some questionable means of making the world work in her favour.
Although through most of the show she is depicted as a conniving character, in the latest season, we see her go through some even more challenging situations where she doesn’t have the upper hand – and her choices surprise even long-time fans of the show.
The role of ‘Mai Ling’ is played by Dianne Doan and we caught up with during Womens’ Month at the second annual CAPE Radiance Gala in Los Angeles.
See also: More than a living legacy: Shannon Lee and her impact
Dianne Doan on finding her voice and community
Moving from Vancouver to Los Angeles nearly eight years ago, Dianne Doan was constantly told how hard it would be to break into Hollywood – especially as a woman of colour.
The Vietnamese-Chinese Canadian actress reflects on how she developed confidence in herself and how moving to America from Canada made a world of difference. “When I came to America, the first thing I noticed was an innate confidence in this culture,” she said.
At CAPE’s Radiance Gala, Doan shared her excitement for some of her best friends being honoured at the event in celebration of API women and non-binary folks in entertainment. Community has been instrumental for Doan in finding her voice.
“Only in the last couple of years have I found my voice and feel like I matter and am making room for myself,” says Doan. “Stepping in, commanding space, having a voice and truly standing behind it is something I am bringing into who I am as a woman in a leading role.”
We can only do this when we have the support of a community.
“It took me five years to find a community here and it meant the world to not feel alone, to be able to lift each other up.”
See also: Olivia Cheng talks breaking new ground in Warrior and real life
What’s next for Warrior?
Depending on whether you’re an O.G. fan and follower of the series, you may have watched ‘Warrior’ on one or more television networks. Recently making the move to Netflix, it’s unclear whether the show will continue for a fourth season or not.
“There are so many unanswered questions and so many cliffhangers. Coming back whether it’s a season four or a movie, we just never know,” she shared.
We asked Doan what she’d like to see for a season four: “For three seasons, Ah Sahm and Mai Ling have been trying to find each other. If we had another season, I’d love to see how handles being led by his sister.”
See also: Bringing the immigrant experience to screen with Warrior’s Chen Tang
Watch all three seasons of Warrior on Netflix in the U.S. and Crave in Canada. If you want to see another season of Warrior on Netflix, you can request a show on their website.
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