The details surrounding the much anticipated Netflix live-action Avatar series are still shrouded in mystery. Though, to the surprise and anticipation of many fans, Netflix confirmed part of the cast in August of 2021. The Canadian Mohawk actress Kiawentiio Tarbell will portray Katara, actor Ian Ousley will take on the role of Sokka. The up-and-coming actor Dallas Liu will play Prince Zuko, renowned actor Daniel Dae Kim will be Firelord Ozai, and finally, Aang will be played by Gordon Cormier.
Although this cast is not without its fair share of controversy, the casting for the series, so far, makes sense, at least when compared to the cast of Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender film.
9 Most of the cast members look like their respective characters
From the Netflix-released headshots alone, most of the actors look a lot like their anime counterparts. Ian Ousley and Kiawentiio Tarbell, in particular, share a strong resemblance to Sokka and Katara respectively. Ousley has that lighthearted yet confident smirk that fans should come to expect from someone playing Sokka. Kiawentiio Tarbell doesn’t look exactly like Katara, but her hair and facial features match the character, if one were looking at her other headshots. A long-haired Daniel Dae Kim also looks exactly like the animated version of Ozai; no need for any work there.
As for Dallas Liu and Gordon Cormier, the resemblance is a bit more subtle. Cormier has a full head of hair, unlike Aang, so maybe if he shaves then he will look a bit more like Aang. The same can be said for Liu; once he gets into costume and makeup, with the iconic Zuko scar, then he’ll hopefully look more like the Zuko fans know.
8 The cast members are around the same age as their characters
A significant issue with The Last Airbender, which angered nearly all Avatar fans, was that the actors playing Sokka, Katara, and Aang weren’t the right age, nor did they look their part. For example, Sokka in the series was supposed to be about 15 years old. Jackson Rathbone, who played Sokka in the movie, was 26 then. Because of this, he didn’t have that youthfulness that came with the character. He made Sokka seem more like Aang’s guardian.
This movie improves upon this. As of the filming of this series, Gordon Cormier is 12 years old, matching Aang’s age. Kiawentiio is 15, one year older than Katara. Ousley and Liu are a bit older than their series counterparts as they are about 19 and 20 respectively, though they are supposed to be around 15 and 16 respectively. This is fine, for the most part, since they look their parts and they made Zuko older than Sokka, which is how it’s supposed to be.
7 Gordon Cormier looks to bring a type of ebullience to his role as Aang
What made Aang such a great character in the anime series was that he truly felt like the life of the show. He was energetic, enthusiastic, optimistic, and pure. He was an exuberant character despite all of the problems he faced throughout the various seasons. Translating this particular quality to a live-action show isn’t easy, but Gordon Cormier looks like he is in the perfect position to try.
From his Instagram, Cormier comes off like a very free and energetic boy. He enjoys skateboarding and he seems like he doesn’t take himself too seriously, which is good considering Aang is almost exactly the same. Compared to Noah Ringer, who made Aang as low-spirited as possible, this is an improvement.
6 Dallas Liu previously practiced martial arts
Dallas Liu was apparently a very accomplished martial artist in his youth. He started practicing martial arts when he was 5 and stopped competing when he was 13. During this time, he practiced Japanese Shotokan, a style of Karate, and competed in the U.S. Open and in Diamond Nationals. On top of this, he is a former NASKA and ISKA world champion. He won countless titles that involved intricate and complex routines, with and without various weapons. There are even videos of him competing on the web.
This alone is a very impressive accomplishment and more than qualifies him for the role of Zuko. Having someone who is well versed in martial arts play a martial arts-driven character is the least the showrunners can do for the fans.
5 Dallas Liu was in a few martial arts movies prior to this role as Zuko
Dallas Liu has starred in a few martial arts movies prior to his upcoming role as Zuko in this series. He played the 6-year-old version of Jin Kazama in the 2009 film Tekken, based on the video game. Liu also played a Young Bi Han (Sub-Zero) in Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Finally, he had a minor role in Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as Ruihua, Katy’s brother.
In short, Liu is not unfamiliar with this genre of television and film, which is good since he could bring some action movie acting experience to the cast.
4 The cast members have some acting experience
One of the many problems of The Last Airbender was that the film had a combination of actors who had no prior acting experience, very little acting experience, and a lot of acting experience. What was most problematic was that Noah Ringer, the actor who had the main title role, had no acting experience before this movie. According to a few online sources, he had to take acting lessons prior to shooting, and his inexperience showed.
The cast, excluding Kim, isn’t that experienced but they have acted in a variety of different film and television genres. Hopefully, because of this, the acting won’t be as bad as it was in the Shyamalan film. Bringing in an actor with no on-screen acting experience for this franchise would not be a wise choice.
3 The series has a non-whitewashed cast
Avatar is an animated series based on East Asian culture with East Asian characters. Whether this show bombs or becomes a hit, at the very least, it doesn’t have a whitewashed cast like the live-action movie does. Having an Asian-inspired show, based on an anime, without any Asians in it would be a foregone conclusion. Luckily, this isn’t the case with this series, so far.
The cast isn’t all Asian however, and therefore without its share of controversies, but it’s a start. Again, at the very least, Zuko, Ozai, and Aang, arguably the three most important characters in the series, are played by Asian actors.
2 Daniel Dae Kim could bring some much-needed attention to the show
Daniel Dae Kim is a very accomplished Korean American actor who has stared in many high-profile shows and movies, including Lost, Hawaii Five-O, and NCIS, to name a few. He’s a big name amongst the Asian American community so his involvement in the project could bring this show some much-needed attention. Nobody else on the cast so far is as famous nor as accomplished as he is, and so his appearance might help to lure in some new, possibly older fans to the show.
Him playing Firelord Ozai, and not some random minor role, indicates that Netflix is investing heavily into this series, which shows that they want to do a good job.
1 Daniel Dae Kim could help to bridge the gap between the live-action show & the animated series
As fans may or may not know, Daniel Dae Kim was actually involved with the Avatar franchise before. In the original series, Episode 1 of Season 2 titled “The Avatar State,” Kim voices General Fong, a military officer of the Earthen Kingdom Army who tries to trigger Aang’s avatar state through aggressive tactics. Kim returned in The Legend of Korra, this time voicing Asami’s father and secondary antagonist Hiroshi Sato, voicing him for seven episodes.
Kim knows how to portray a good villain and what’s better is that he knows how to portray an Avatar villain. This is exactly what the series needs. Not only can he be a menacing Ozai but he’s familiar with and connected to the original animated show.
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