'Avatar: The Last Airbender' adaptation didn’t want to ‘water down’ depictions of war and imperialism, actors say

'Avatar' actors Daniel Dae Kim and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee said there’s a good reason for realistic depictions.

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers ahead.

Netflix’s new series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” tackles heavy topics like war and exploitation and, according to actors in it, the showrunners didn’t hesitate to depict them in a graphic way.

The live-action series is a departure from the animated Nickelodeon show on which it’s based on, which only alluded to instances of genocide and murder. Actors Daniel Dae Kim and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee said there’s a good reason for that.

Lee, who plays Uncle Iroh, a former general of the fictional country called “Fire Nation,” explained the show’s intentional display of brutality.

“I, as an artist who’s working in it, appreciate that we’re not watering it down necessarily to make it more palatable for the audience,“ Lee said. “The scope, the epicness of it, the themes that we’re trying to explore, I think you can’t be too light-handed with it. And this is what I appreciate as a fan as well. And I think a whole generation of original fans would like that sort of change where it’s stepped up.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/avatar-the-last-airbender-daniel-dae-kim-rcna139648

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