Nicky Shen’s fight to protect her city – and the world — just got personal on Kung Fu.
The destined warrior suffered a close call when her brother was shot by crime boss Russell Tan. While Ryan is expected to make a full recovery, the incident will have rippling effects on the entire Shen family, including Nicky, who now realizes she has more to lose in the battle against evil.
“For the first time, her family was truly in danger because of things that she was responsible for, so that’s definitely going to change the way that she moves forward,” Olivia Liang, who plays Nicky, told TVLine during The CW’s Upfronts presentation in New York City.
Given that Mia abandoned Ryan to chase after Russell for her own personal reasons, Nicky is taking greater thought in how she deals with her cousin, who has now aligned herself with Zhilan.
“Does she want to even help Mia anymore? Is it worth it to put her whole entire family in danger? I think the decisions that Nicky makes are going to hold a lot more weight rather than her just being like, ‘I just have to save the world,’” Liang explained. “It’s a little more personal now.”
Shannon Dang, who plays Althea, added that the “whole family is just going to lean in. I think everyone realizes that there is a bigger picture. It’s not just about us. Nicky wants to help her community; help save the world.”
As the series gears up for its Season 2 finale (airing Wednesday, June 15 at 9/8c), both actresses noted that fans can expect an intense hour that will leave many wondering what the heck just happened.
“The drama is a lot,” Dang teased.
Added Liang, “Jaws were dropped when we were reading the finale… Like truly, truly unexpected. I’m willing to bet so much money that no one will be able to guess what happens.” (With reporting by Andy Swift)
Watch our full interview with Liang and Dang above.