Photos of Liu Yifei’s stunt double for “Mulan” have gone viral on social media this week, leaving some users curious about the movie’s fate if she actually played the role.
The double, Liu Yaxi, reportedly shared images of herself as Mulan on Weibo Monday, but somehow took them down shortly after.
Yaxi’s name appears in the movie credits as “Mulan stunt double.”
In another post from 2018, Yifei is seen giving her a kiss and hug.
Yifei did her own stunts in 90% of the action scenes, according to Insider. Apparently, Yaxi completed the remaining 10%.
While some social media users have been critical of Yifei, Yaxi has come to her defense, pointing out that she was not being “replaced” as an actor.
“Martial arts is dangerous, and it’s inevitable that a stunt double will be used ‘cos it’ll be too risky if the actors were to do everything themselves,” Yaxi said, according to 8 Days.
Aside from having a stunt double, Yifei had three stand-ins for lighting and camera tests, Yaxi said. Those actresses did not appear together on set, since different stand-ins were used according to time and location.
Yaxi has since commended Yifei’s acting. She also justified her use of a stunt double.
“I feel that [Liu Yifei’s] professionalism and serious attitude to her work is something that everyone has seen. I don’t know about others, but I’ve learnt [from her] during the filming of Mulan,” she said, according to Mothership.
Yaxi appears to have an Instagram account — which responds to fan comments — but it has not been verified as of this writing. The profile shared the same photos from her Weibo account around the same time.
“Would love to have seen you as the actual Mulan who played the role,” one user wrote in the comments.
Another noted, “Yaxi, thanks for making Mulan’s challenging stunts and live action even more vivid. You are a beast in your own way.”
Feature Images via @六压七_
