Ming-Na Wen has been in multiple live-action and animated Star Wars projects. Even though Wen's career spans several years, and she has a great resume, Star Wars has always meant a lot to her since her childhood.
Via CinemaBlend, Ming-Na Wen shared that she was excited for her mom, Lin Chan Wen, to see her as Fennec Shand, but her mother's "condescending" reaction took her by surprise. She says, "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's mom knew her daughter was a big Star Wars fan before she bagged a part on The Mandalorian; however, she couldn't even pretend to enjoy it for her daughter's sake. Ming-Na didn't explain why her mother wasn't impressed by her role on The Mandalorian, but maybe science fiction and space westerns aren't something Lin Chan Wen enjoys.
That doesn't mean her mom dislikes all her work. Ming-Na revealed that there's one movie she did that her mother loved so much, she called her up to tell her. It's a movie Ming-Na wasn't too proud of, and she says she did it when "things were a little dry." Wen says this "B-movie" called Super Cyclone impressed her mom, and "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."
Ming-Na's hilarious comments about her mom are relatable, as parents and children often have different tastes. Despite that, it's great that Wen had the opportunity to live out her childhood dream. Wen's work on Season 1 of The Mandalorian was well-received, so she was brought back for more episodes in Season 2. This led to a bigger role in The Book of Boba Fett and appearances on two seasons of The Bad Batch.
Wen is now a Star Wars veteran, and she hopes to return with her co-star, Temuera Morrison, for The Book of Boba Fett Season 2. Morrison was recently asked about his Star Wars future, and he seems keen on returning. Even if there's no second season of Boba Fett, Temuera may be brought back for Dave Filoni's crossover movie, which is currently under development. Filoni's movie will be a climactic event that brings all the Mandalorian-era characters together, and it would seem incomplete without Boba Fett and Fennec Shand.
The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney+.