Top of the World

Breakout star Natasha Liu Bordizzo went from law student to kungfu heroine overnight, acting alongside Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. Gerald Tan speaks to the actress in New York about fame, the Asian identity and breaking down stereotypes in Hollywood.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

Breakout star Natasha Liu Bordizzo went from law student to kungfu heroine overnight, acting alongside Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. Gerald Tan speaks to the actress in New York about fame, the Asian identity and breaking down stereotypes in Hollywood.  

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Silk dress; leather mules
All clothes and accessories worn throughout the shoot are from Louis Vuitton’s cruise 2018 collection unless stated otherwise

When Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in theatres 17 years ago, it was lauded for Ang Lee’s deft direction, the poetic performances of its leads, and the heart-stopping action sequences choreographed by acclaimed martial arts expert Yuen Woo-ping. 

The film’s unprecedented success made it a tough act to beat. Still, its sequel, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, managed to capture the essence that made the first a cinematic masterpiece. Amid elegant sword-fighting scenes and sweeping shots of China’s landscapes, the 105-minute-long Netflix film also unearthed a gem in the form of Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who plays Michelle Yeoh’s impetuous protégé, Xue Ping.

I first meet Liu Bordizzo in New York, 18 floors above ground, on the rooftop of a building with impressive views of the Big Apple’s famous cityscape. There are no swords to brandish or walls to scale like a pugilistic master today, but Liu Bordizzo is nonetheless putting up a fine performance as BAZAAR’s cover star while dressed in a graphic sweater and textured brocade pants. Perched gingerly on the parapet, her exquisite features and porcelain skin beautifully accentuated by the New York sunlight, Liu Bordizzo exudes the striking allure of a 21st-century heroine. Is it any wonder the 23-year-old Australian took home the coveted role of Xue Ping? 

DESTINY’S CHILD

Born to a Chinese mother and Italian father in Sydney, Liu Bordizzo describes her childhood as typical of any girl growing up in Australia. “Except I was weird,” she says while breaking into laughter. “As a child, I spent a lot of time alone. I still do. I need that solitude. I’m definitely an introvert.” Her competitive streak also started to show at a very young age. “Team sports frustrated me. I either want it to be my fault that I lost or my glory that I won. So I tried horse riding and figure skating,” she recalls. When Liu Bordizzo picked up martial arts around the age of 10, little did she know that one day, the sport would reroute the direction of her life. While studying law in university, she answered the casting call for Sword of Destiny. It turned out to be her breakthrough. “I couldn’t believe that I got it because it was my first-ever audition. I was like, ‘Are you sure? I’ve never been to acting class’,” she recalls, the thrill of securing the part still fresh in her memory. “I guess I checked all the boxes. I knew martial arts, was of Chinese descent, and had the right age and vibe. And then to find out Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen were going to be in it? Oh, my God. No pressure, Natasha!”

Though she was drawn to film as an art form, Liu Bordizzo admits that pursuing acting as a career never really crossed her mind: “I once subscribed to popular notions of what real careers should be—medicine, business, law... Creative pursuits are just hobbies. I don’t really know where that came from because my parents never really pushed me to be academic. But, I guess fate came along and the universe plucked me up from where I was. I just know I’m now on the right path. When I started acting, I never had that existential crisis where I was like, ‘Is this the right thing to be doing in life?’ I just know it is.”

Now, she can’t get enough of it. Since Sword of Destiny, Liu Bordizzo has kept herself busy with a slew of projects that challenge her range as an actress. They are important, she says, because they demonstrate how she can seamlessly transition into any character she wants to. Come December, Liu Bordizzo will greet audiences in the musical film, The Greatest Showman, appearing alongside bigwigs such as Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams and Zendaya. Hotel Mumbai, a thriller based on the real-life 2008 terrorist attack that happened in India’s Taj Mahal Palace hotel, sees Liu Bordizzo put in a gripping performance as an Australian backpacker caught in the terrifying crossfire. She adds: “As an actress, it was a very satisfying experience for me. Now when I hear about events that happened or the struggles that people are going through, I can easily switch into the reality of it.” 

BRIDGING THE GAP

Liu Bordizzo is also setting her sights on the Chinese film market. It’s more than a homecoming for her—she is passionate about contributing to the dialogue happening between the East and the West in Beijing. “There are all these visualisations about where the bridge could go and what form of projects would manifest from all of that,” she observes. Which explains why she is excited to be involved in a yet-to-be disclosed project that stars some of China’s household names.  “It’s the beginning of what I hope will be an amazing junction for me,” Liu Bordizzo says of the production, which will bring together talents from both sides of the world.

It might not come as a surprise that Liu Bordizzo hopes to use her unique position and background to discourage the use of labels in society in the future. “I’ve thought about this a lot. There’s a tendency for people to want to label you as something. They want me to choose and decide if I’m Chinese or Australian. But it’s such a spectrum. I think it’s more interesting to delve into that and do justice to that spectrum. We’ve become such a global world now; I’m so happy that we are having conversations [about diversity and equality]. And they are conversations that I’m happy to be part of, because I’m both a woman and a woman of colour.” 

STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT

When Liu Bordizzo is not poring over her scripts, she’s making appearances at runway shows such as Louis Vuitton’s fall/winter 2016 staging at the Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton. I point out to her that actresses have often used fashion to craft their personas. “Yes, they are so intertwined,” she nods in agreement. “I wasn’t a model-turned-actor. But since I started acting, I’ve utilised both fields and I’m so glad that I’ve been accepted into the fashion world. I think fashion really is a beautiful marriage that combines the different realms of architecture, music, art and interior design.”

Whether she’s turning heads on or off the red carpet, Liu Bordizzo is taking her time to build the foundations of her budding career. She quotes Frank Ocean’s “Work hard in silence and let success be your noise” as the trajectory she wants for herself; every single piece of work she’s done will pave the way. Liu Bordizzo thinks the journey ahead of her will be an exhilarating one: “I feel like I’m in the cockpit of this crazy jet that’s speeding off and out of control.” ■

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Fur and leather coat; metal rings. Silk bra and denim jeans, Liu Bordizzo’s own

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Studded leather and suede shirt; knit top; jacquard pants
OPPOSITE: Embroidered knit top; jacquard pants; silk scarf

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Makeup: Linda Gradin/L’Atelier
Hair: Takuya Sagawa/Walter Schupfer
Manicure: Sheril Bailey/Walter Schupfer
Production: Opus Reps
Photography assistants: Dean Dodos, Daren Thomas, Dennis Vlasov
Videographer: Liz Brown
Styling assistant: Louis Marion

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Photographed by Frederic Auerbach. Styled by Windy Aulia