Lucy Liu hopes new film Rosemead will prompt conversations about mental health

Actress Lucy Liu has said she hopes a tragic story of a terminally ill mother’s drastic actions to protect her son will prompt conversations around mental health.

The star took on the challenging role of Irene Chao, an immigrant widow with terminal cancer, and her son who is battling mental health issues as he approaches adulthood in her new film Rosemead.

Based on a true story, the movie is set within a Chinese American community in the San Gabriel Valley neighbourhood of Rosemead, California.

But while the film is set within that particular community, Liu said a lot of stigma remains around mental health in many communities across the world.

The Charlie’s Angels star was honoured for her latest role with The Realta Award (Irish for ‘star’) by Belfast Film Festival at the weekend.

She told the PA news agency that she was really touched to be honoured in Belfast, a place she described as having had a “magical time” in two years ago while filming the movie Old Guy.

Liu described being touched by the history of Northern Ireland and the transformed political atmosphere while in the city, noting a “story behind everything”.

“That happened also in China, that happens in America. To actually live here for that month is different than just coming to visit, so I felt very connected to the community, and everyone on the crew was very warm and lovely, and really full of joy,” she said.

When first approached with the script for Rosemead, Liu said she was shocked to hear the tragedy had happened so recently, in 2015, describing it as “preventable”.

“There was, I think, a lot of fear that was going on with this mother, and, you know, she loved her son so much, and I think there was a feeling of urgency that created, you know, the unfortunate part of, you know, what happened in the end, the consequence,” she said.

“There’s a deep sorrow that I felt for this woman, and I think that there’s a lot of misunderstanding behind her actions. So I really tried to come from a place of love and to understand how difficult it must have been for her to make that choice. And I think in her heart, she felt it was the most courageous thing she could do to save her son.

“I hope viewers don’t even see me in this role, I hope they just see this woman, and they see the love that she has for her son.

“I hope that they can have a conversation about the movie. It’s not something that you just kind of walk away with and then go on with your life. It’s a discussion point, and I hope that’s what people take away from it.”

In visiting film festivals around the world with the film, Liu said it has been a moment to share for many.

“After (viewing the film) everyone has a story of somebody that they know, in their family, or that they know as a friend or in their family line … it’s a moment of sharing,” she said.

“We found that to be the case also in the crew, where we were able to talk about things that would come up, and it wasn’t forced, it was very natural, and I think that’s a really nice place to convene and feel that it’s a safe space to talk about something and to express it, because I don’t think it’s something good to hold in, and when you talk about it, then you realise other people can relate to it, or have had experiences like that.

“It’s just a really wonderful way to see that you’re not alone.

“There’s a lot of people that are also not the ones suffering necessarily, but the ones who are the caretakers, and I think sometimes that’s even harder.”