Dallas Liu and Ian Ousley tease season two of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
Writer Teresa Tran chatted with the “ATLA” actors about what fans can expect in terms of characters and ships
From left, Ian Ousley and Dallas Liu play Sokka and Zuko respectively in the live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" series.
Courtesy of Netflix
Words by Teresa Tran
Warning: This article includes spoilers for the end of season one of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The second season of the live-action adaptation for Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) is officially in production. At its annual Geeked Week fan event on Sept. 19 in Atlanta, Netflix announced breaking news and shared teaser trailers for some of their hottest genre series, including for ATLA.
If you can recall at the end of season one, Aang (Gordon Cormier) and his gang were victorious, stopping the Fire Nation from destroying the Northern Water Tribe. But this victory is only one out of a long line of battles that await our main characters. In slight changes from the original animated series, Princess Azula (Elizabeth Yu) has taken over the Earth Kingdom of Omashu and imprisoned its ruler, King Bumi (Utkarsh Ambudkar). Meanwhile, Sozin’s Comet, a rare cosmic event, is on the horizon, which threatens to be weaponized by the Fire Nation against the other nations and upend our protagonists’ plans.
Actors Dallas Liu (Prince Zuko) and Ian Ousley (Sokka) made a special appearance in Atlanta to meet fans and announce the casting of Miya Cech, who will be joining the cast this upcoming season as master earthbender Toph, a character from the animated series.
Actors Ian Ousley and Dallas Liu on stage at Netflix’s Geeked Week live event in Atlanta.
Courtesy of Netflix
From an interview with the show’s costume designer, to a breakdown of how Sokka’s sexist character arc has changed in season one, it’s safe to say we at JoySauce are big fans of ATLA. So we were thrilled to learn that the actors are getting back into character and training at Avatar “boot camp,” as they call it, in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the new season. In addition, Liu and Ousley revealed on the Geeked Week stage that they’re rewatching the animated series and YouTube explainer videos to refresh themselves on the characters and their lore.
I caught up with the actors on the Geeked Week red carpet, where they shared their excitement of getting back into their characters’ shoes, what fans can expect out of season two in terms of characters and ships, and which Avatar character they would go up against in a fight if they had no choice in the matter.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Teresa Tran: Hi! Nice to meet you guys. Going into season two, what are you guys most excited for fans to see?
Dallas Liu: I’m excited for Sokka to become the Avatar.
TT: Oh, yeah.
DL: Do you remember that part?
TT: Yes [Laughs].
DL: And then Momo becomes the Avatar [Laughs].
Ian Ousley: Alright [Laughs]. I’m really excited to get some new personalities in the mix of it all. Incorporate–
DL: Any particular character?
IO: I don’t know. None that are coming to mind at the moment, but like new incorporations of the gang maybe. Green. Small. Blind.
DL: Earthbender.
IO: Earthbender. But none come to mind. So newer characters. And I would say the humanity of our characters getting expanded and diving deep into the emotional aspects of those.
DL: Yeah, I’m excited to, I think, work on Zuko’s inner turmoil, choosing his father’s route or his mother’s route.
The two actors on the red carpet.
Courtesy of Netflix
TT: Going into season one, you guys had this big, storied franchise pressure. Now going into season two, you guys are veterans basically. So this season, how is the acting experience going to be different for you?
IO: Yeah, I feel like honestly the first time, I was so nervous. I had just turned 18 during COVID, and then a year later booked Avatar during lockdown. I became a human being on the show, in general. But I was super nervous. It ended up being great because of the team that we had around us. I feel so much more comfortable this year. Just going in and diving into those shoes again. Getting to riff more and do more of what we did in the first (season) because people liked it.
DL: I’m just excited to improve. I think now we have an understanding of what our show looks like, how it feels, and tone-wise, all of that. I think we’re excited to double down on the stuff that worked for us and then improve on things that we need to improve on.
TT: Can you guys tease anything about some of the character relationships? In season one, Sokka had a thing with Suki, and then Zuko is constantly going back and forth between multiple people.
IO: Woah! Player! Sokka needs a break. He just got over the biggest heartbreak of his life [with Princess Yue]. He let down everyone pretty hard there. He needs some time to cool off. [Points to Liu] This guy, on the other hand, he’s heating up.
DL: [Laughs]. Actually, I feel like Zuko needs some time to himself more than anyone. He is not in the (right mindset). He needs to be alone. Maybe getting away from his own uncle or something. I think he needs to check on his own mental health a little bit.
TT: Okay. Lightning round! Pick one character to go up against in a fight. Pick your poison. Ozai or Uncle Iroh?
IO: Oh, what the hell? I’m dead every time. It doesn’t matter unless you pick like Momo.
DL: I’m probably Ozai. The only reason I say that is because he redirected Ozai’s lightning in (season) three (in the animated series) and he just put him out and he was like, “I ain’t even going to finish you off. I’m just going to go. I’m going to dip.”
IO: If I had to choose, I’d probably choose Iroh because I feel like I could sweeten him up.
DL: That’s crazy.
IO: I could have some tea with him. Then all of a sudden, I’m reaching behind my back…You’re like BOOMERANG! Right in the shoulder!
TT: Okay, Aang or Korra?
IO: I’m going to choose Aang just because I want to try. Sokka’s like has had enough.
DL: I feel like after three years of trying to kill him and not being successful, he’s got to go the other direction and try something new.
Ousley and Liu announced the casting of Miya Cech as Toph at Geeked Week.
Courtesy of Netflix
TT: Last one, Katara or Azula? [Liu and Ousley each make a face]. Oh, what is that reaction?
IO: I can’t even try. Sokka would never go up against Katara.
TT: But in a situation where you had to. Pick your poison.
DL: Well, I already fought Katara. I fought Azula.
IO: He’s like, “Been there, done that.”
TT: Will you fight Azula in season two?
DL: [Smiles and doesn’t make eye contact. His smile continues to grow, but he remains silent].
TT: [All three of us look at each other, slowly smiling. And then we laugh in unison]. Okay, we’ll take that reaction.
DL: Yeah, I’m just gonna look at Ian.
IO: Even though I think Sokka would lose, I want to try to fight Azula.
DL: You could definitely annoy her and mess with her mental space for the fight.
IO: But the angrier she gets, I feel like the better she is. If anything, I gotta make her laugh.
DL: You think you could make her laugh?
IO: Yeah. I think I could give it a good try.
DL: I don’t have an answer for you. I’m sorry [Laughs].
Published on October 1, 2024
Words by Teresa Tran
Teresa Tran (she/her) is an American-born Vietnamese writer and filmmaker based in Atlanta, Georgia, with a background in theater and community organizing. She has a B.A. in English and Women’s Studies and a B.S.Ed in English Education from the University of Georgia and studied British Literature at the University of Oxford. She is currently writing and directing her own short films and working on her debut novel. You can find her on Twitter at @teresatran__.