Entertainment · Film · 3 hrs ago
Callina Liang Details Chun-Li’s Transformation and a Changed Street Fighter Scene
Callina Liang plays Chun-Li in the Street Fighter film, taking on a character she has long admired.
She said she understood fans’ doubts about whether her physique suited the martial artist and trained intensely to address them.
Her preparation included daily stunt and martial arts training, weightlifting several times a week and a strict diet.
In the story, Chun-Li infiltrates the Shadaloo organization to avenge her father, who was murdered by its leader, M. Bison.
A planned finger sacrifice was replaced by a Shadaloo hand brand after Capcom and the filmmakers revised the script.
The change avoids leaving Chun-Li permanently without a finger in potential future stories, and Liang said she was somewhat frustrated that the character did not complete her mission to defeat Bison.
Callina Liang underwent an intense physical transformation to play Chun-Li in Street Fighter.
She said online criticism about her physique motivated her to prove doubters wrong.
Her preparation included weight training several times a week, daily stunt and martial arts training, and a diet that included 12 eggs a day.
An earlier script had Chun-Li cut off a finger during an initiation, but the scene was changed to her receiving a Shadaloo hand-brand.
- Who
- Callina Liang, who plays Chun-Li in Street Fighter.
- What
- Liang described her physical transformation for the role and changes to Chun-Li’s story.
- When
- Not stated
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- Liang wanted to embody Chun-Li and respond to doubts about whether her physique suited the character.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Liang trained in weightlifting, stunts and martial arts and followed a rigorous diet.
Chun-Li was meant to cut off a finger as part of her initiation into Bison’s syndicate.
The finger-cutting was replaced with a Shadaloo mark branded on Chun-Li’s inner palm.
- Role
- Chun-Li
- Training
- Weightlifting several times a week; stunts and martial arts daily
- Diet
- Included 12 eggs per day
- Physical change
- Liang added nearly three inches to her thighs
- Original initiation scene
- Chun-Li was to cut off a finger
- Revised initiation scene
- Shadaloo mark branded on her inner palm
What people are saying
A lot of the comments I read online motivated me even more to prove them wrong. But I agree that, physically, where I started wasn’t where I would ideally want Chun-Li to be.
Chun-Li was originally supposed to chop off a finger, but Capcom … They went back and forth with the script, and eventually they decided that hand-branding was the better way to do it
If she had no pinky for the rest of the [potential series], it would be deforming the character in a way.