Poppy Liu's New Era: From Hacks to Erotic Horror

Actress Poppy Liu is embracing a new chapter in her career, marked by her role in Boots Riley's "I Love Boosters." This film, featuring a star-studded cast, serves as a significant step into mainstream visibility for Liu.

Beyond "I Love Boosters," Liu is developing several ambitious projects. These include a Netflix adult animated comedy titled "Dang!" and a feature she describes as "erotic horror," centered on a spectral character from the Chinese Exclusion Act period undergoing a sexual awakening. Additionally, she is working on a personal dream project: a Chinese American western.

Liu finds Boots Riley's directorial style, with its blend of maximalism, absurdism, and social commentary, particularly compelling. She appreciates how his films use satire and surrealism as a "Trojan horse" to address profound social issues, disarming audiences with their aesthetic appeal before delving into deeper themes.

Reflecting on her career, Liu acknowledges the cognitive dissonance of promoting films with anti-capitalist themes while participating in the very capitalist system they critique. She finds the "performance of capitalism" inherent in the industry challenging but focuses on mutual aid as a tangible way to combat the isolating effects of individualism.

The actress also discusses the emotional significance of the recent conclusion of "Hacks," a show that provided her with pivotal career milestones. She likens the experience to graduating, marking the end of an important era that began during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.