The premiere of Kung Fu, The CW’s new midseason series, is upon us — and ahead of its premiere, the cast and showrunners of the action/adventure family drama hit WonderCon to preview what viewers can expect when they tune in. In addition to having “a little bit of everything for everyone,” co-showrunner Christina Kim reveals there’s a love triangle that’s “really hot.”
On opposite ends of that love triangle with central character Nicky (Olivia Liang), are Evan Hartley and Henry Yan. The fine gentlemen who play them, Gavin Stenhouse and Eddie Liu, respectively, talk about their characters and how they are tied into Nicky’s life.
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Stenhouse, who plays Nicky’s ex and an assistant district attorney, says that both his character, Evan, and Henry have very different sides to offer to Nicky’s story. Nicky and Evan have history. They did a lot of growing up during their relationship. “They went through so much that they’ve got this innate bond that is not easily shaken,” Stenhouse says.
“Even though Nicky spent some years away and then has tried to seemingly move on, I think that that’s the kind of thing that we all remember. We all remember our first loves, and we all remember how deep those scars cut. I think that’s something that will always draw them together.”
For Eddie, the Chinese history buff and martial arts expert, he comes into the story as a new face to Nicky. Before they both meet, she’s already going through a quarter-life crisis and is at a huge turning point in her life. At this point, she’s already finding out who she is, and her past is more or less behind her, or so she hopes and feels.
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“Henry is a complete stranger to Nicky when he meets her, and so he knows nothing about her, can’t judge her for who she was or what she might have done in the past,” Liu says, “and so the way I see it is there’s so much potential for all that can be good simply because there’s a clean slate there.
“Henry connects with her on, for example, in one very tangible way — they both have an infinity and appreciation for kung fu,” he adds. “Henry [also] proves to be quite useful in helping because he’s smart about a few historical things. So Henry comes into play in that regard.”
Quips Stenhouse, “You’re not the only one who becomes useful, my friend.”
Kung Fu premieres Wednesday, April 7 at 8pm on The CW.