Who is Natasha Liu? Meet the only female lead in Jack Ma’s kung fu film debut

Among the stellar cast of Gong Shou Dao, a short kung fu film produced by and starring Alibaba founder Jack Ma, Natasha Liu stands out – not only because she’s the youngest star working alongside veterans the likes of Jet Li, Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung Kam-bo, but also because she is the only female lead. Alibaba Group is the owner of the South China Morning Post.

Liu, 24, born in Sydney, has a Chinese mother and an Italian father. A protégé of actress Michelle Yeoh’s, Liu made her debut in the sequel Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II: The Sword of Destiny last year. Her latest projects include The Greatest Showman, co-starring Hugh Jackman, and Detective Chinatown II, co-starring Wang Baoqiang.

Gong Shou Dao, also known as The Art of Attack and Defence, will be released on Sunday via Chinese streaming site Youku. The film follows Ma’s character on a journey to fulfil his dream as a kung fu master.

Vivian Chen chatted with Liu about her role in Gong Shou Dao, her passion for martial arts and hanging out with Ma on site.

Can you tell us about your character in Gong Shou Dao?

I play a remixed version of Chun Li from Streetfighter. It was really fun to play this character, especially with the iconic “ox horns” hairstyle adorned with ribbons. Coincidentally, the character is known for her kicking skills, which is also a strength of mine as my main background in martial arts is taekwondo. She’s very eccentric and loves being one of the boys. Like the other martial artists, she represents a stage in Jack Ma’s journey and challenges him to a fight.

It’s Jack Ma’s film debut. Did you enjoy working with the tech billionaire-turned-actor?

The biggest challenge of this project was trying not to eat too much. Jack Ma’s kitchen staff brought us a huge variety of home-cooked food every day. I had to time my lunch so that I didn’t overeat before filming action scenes.