How Lucy Liu found the words to understand an unspeakable act in 'Rosemead'

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For Lucy Liu, starting to understand the otherwise unfathomable choices of her character in the new film “Rosemead” began with language.To play Irene, a San Gabriel Valley widow taking care of a teenage son with schizophrenia, Liu seized a rare opportunity to use the Mandarin she spoke growing up in a Chinese household in Queens, N.Y.After famously stretching her muscles as one of Charlie’s Angels, the actor found herself working out every word just as hard with a dialect coach — and soon came to understand that the tragedy of the story, based on a 2017 Times article by then-staff writer Frank Shyong, originated long before its devastating end.Irene’s difficulty communicating with both the American medical system and her troubled son, Liu realized, were central to the drastic action Irene takes when a terminal cancer diagnosis raises the prospect that her son will be left uncared for.“There are other cultures that have similar problems, whether it’s mental illness or not, but they talk about it,” says Liu.

“[And] when you don’t, it’s going to lead to decision-making where you don’t have options.What happened in this particular story was that the mother was just trying to survive.”Liu has opened up dialogue of all kinds with “Rosemead” since its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year.

Her much talked-about turn has fostered discussions about issues close to her heart, for Irene’s inability to address her son’s plight is entangled with her struggle to converse in English, her fears of speaking up as an immigrant in America and the shame she believes his mental illness would bring in a community where psychological issues aren’t often discussed.First, though, Liu first needed to confront her own fears — including her concern, despite the steely resolve that has been the hallmark of many of her most iconic characters, that she m...