Yvonne Chapman Expands Upon the “Human Experience” through The Season and Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2

While we are each given only one life to live, actress Yvonne Chapman seems to embody many identities. Thanks to her immensely fascinating, nuanced, and frequently multifaceted characters, Chapman is able to showcase individuality and the quest to find it through the portrayal of such roles. 

“I think [what] comes with all of these characters is a sense of rebuilding, trying to find your purpose, trying to find [a] space that you belong in. Trying to carve out your own identity amidst expectations of society and pressures that come with it,” Chapman shares in an exclusive interview with EnVi, marking her second conversation with the publication. “And with that, you become different versions of yourself  and those versions deserve a stage to be seen, but you don’t really know what they are until you try to shed the old one.” Chapman leans into a character’s sense of self with each role she takes on, continuing to learn from them long after filming wraps.

This time, she’s taking on two roles at once, with both characters making their way on streaming platforms just over a week apart. The projects include Hulu‘s release of The Season and Netflix‘s eagerly anticipated second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Though both are formidable, the characters come from vastly different worlds.

In The Season, she plays Madeline Wong, a scorned socialite of a Hong Kong dynasty, and in ATLA Season 2, she reprises her role as one of the most renowned symbols of optimism as Avatar Kyoshi. “I think not just for Madeline and Kyoshi, but really when I took a step back and looked at all the characters I’ve been so fortunate to play, all these women are very powerful in their own right, and they all go about it in a different way…” She continues, “They’ve all taught me something, something different about people, about themselves, about myself. And over time, there’s still things I discover from them, even after I stop playing them.”

The Dark Facade of The Elite

The Season peels off the layers of its high-profile portrayal of the upper class to reveal a suspense drama about the terrible secrets that plague Hong Kong’s boating elite, notably the Hext Family. The six-episode installation was produced by PCCW Media in partnership with SK Global, the latter of which also produced the critically acclaimed Crazy Rich Asians. From each episode the theme of the show is clear, as it explores economic inequality and revenge. 

In The Season, Madeline Wong, an affluent aristocrat is now seen as the family’s black sheep after returning to Hong Kong. As she adjusts to the new unflattering light surrounding her, she also deals with the rumors behind her husband’s untimely death.

Wong is both controversial and opinionated, and her portrayal throughout the series uncovers the vulnerabilities hidden beneath a flashy exterior. “I think what The Season shows is [that] when we’re in this world of social media, we see a lot of the best moments of somebody’s life. Very rarely do we actually get a glimpse of the day-to-day and what that person’s dealing with.” 

Chapman emphasizes that while the show is exhilarating in its nature, it also delivers a lesson about sympathy that you might not expect upon first watch. “Underneath that facade and appearance are people dealing with certain things. I hope that people watching this can not only come away with a good time because it is a fun show. But I want them to also remember to have empathy and understanding for anybody that they see out in the world.”

The Season has been streaming internationally since its June 17 debut, and Chapman expresses her joy at being able to finally share this body of work with audiences. “I think sometimes when you’re doing these projects, you do [it] in secret. You can’t really talk about them. You’re not able to share it with the people in your life quite yet. And so for me, once a show is released, it’s no longer ours. It’s theirs, it’s the public’s, it’s the audience’s.”

Aside from the fact that The Season was filmed in Hong Kong, Chapman has personal links there. Her paternal family hails from Hong Kong, and she takes great pride in displaying that part of herself to loved ones. “In this particular case, because [it was] in Hong Kong, and that’s where my dad’s side of the family is from, it felt like it was now theirs, and it was something that I could truly share with them now. So, for me, that’s the lasting impression, when I had friends and family finally able to see what we were up to and see what we were making and be happy about how the city was shown.”

Avatar Kyoshi’s Season 2 appearance

Avatar Kyoshi appears briefly in the second season as Aang, and team Avatar seek ways to take down the Fire Nation’s defenses. Kyoshi offers critical information to Toph through her diary, detailing the Great Comet, charting the orbital cycle of the comet, as well as when each of the elements are stronger or weaker. “It definitely revealed a different layer to Kyoshi, one that I felt I understood from the first season, but it just wasn’t shown as much. In her books, she’s actually very funny and she’s a little bit more gun-shy than I think her big persona as an Avatar allows people to see her as in the public sphere,” Chapman shares regarding the interaction. 

Though briefly, Kyoshi helps to uplift Toph, and it was a poignant change from the original storytelling in the animated series, as Toph and Kyoshi never had a direct interaction despite the fact that their storylines occasionally cross. Kyoshi’s book adaptation, The Rise of Kyoshi, depicts more of her character as she navigates assuming the role of the Avatar, including direct references to Toph’s ancestors and a convoluted relationship with the Beifong family, which the animated series never explored.

Chapman compares returning to her role in the newest season to that in season one, noting, “We got to see that softer side of her. She wasn’t yelling like she was in season one, but I think there’s also still that quiet confidence and fierceness to her in a different way. We saw a little bit of her sense of humor. I encourage anyone who [hasn’t] read the books yet, like that is the true Kyoshi. And I think there’s so many layers of her.”

More than 20 years after the ATLA universe debuted in the world, the fan-following is as strong as ever, and Avatar Kyoshi herself continues to connect deeply with fans, and Chapman believes there’s a reason why. “I think it’s because she was the underdog. There’s really something beautiful about somebody who has come from nothing to being propelled into this role and still being as humble and gracious.” She continues, “You see her coming into the most prominent position in the world with the biggest responsibility coupled with it. The way that she handled it is someone that is trying their very best and they’re not perfect at it. And that’s what I think people really resonate with her.”

Introspection and Gratitude of Her Roles

Chapman found that performing these roles allowed her to reflect on everyday life through her characters’ lens and enter into a life she had not yet lived. “I think what I love about acting is I get to have a glimpse into somebody else’s world and it helps me understand the human experience. For me, that’s the pure joy of doing this job: I get to see different facets of humanity and step into different ways of being through these characters.” As she goes deeper into the characters’ development, she realizes she is growing alongside them rather than just learning from them.

The key message she wants fans of both shows to get from her roles is to use the voice they already have within them. “I want women and young girls in particular to believe that they could take up space, like these women have. And it’s okay to kind of feel the ups and the downs [of] trying to find your space. But I want them to use their voice and use their presence because they deserve it.”

Want to learn more about Yvonne Chapman and her journey through season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender? Check out our original exclusive interview with her!