Lea Salonga Reveals The Disney Princess She Likes Better: Jasmine Or Mulan?
Filipino actress-singer Lea Salonga reflected on her legacy as an icon of musical theater and the voice of two iconic Disney princesses.
Aside from being honored with Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World awards, Salonga also holds the distinction of having played the vocal roles of Princess Jasmine and Mulan for the songs "A Whole New World" and "Reflection," respectively.
Disney invited her to sing as Princess Jasmine in 1992 and Chinese warrior Mulan in 1998.
But when The Guardian asked her if she could choose just one, which Disney princess does she like most -- Lea chose Mulan.
"Mulan. It's the one where I look at the screen and say: 'She looks like me, I look like her,'" she responded.
While Jasmine and Mulan do not share the "Small Voice" artist's Filipina descent, she is proud to share their legacy as a person of color.
"When you see little girls of every race, color and creed dress up as Mulan or Jasmine for Halloween, it's like: 'Oh my God.' It hits you that those two minutes of singing in this movie had some sort of lasting impact and influence," the theater actress shared.
Salonga was among the youngest to take home a Lawrence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical after portraying Kim in "Miss Saigon" on London's West End in 1989.
When she brought Kim to Broadway in 1991, she became the first female Asian performer to win a Tony award, which opened the door for more Asians on the international stage, per Tatler Asia.
Two years after bagging a Tony, the award-winning theater actress-singer played the role of Eponine in the musical "Les Misérables" on Broadway. She was the first Asian to play the role.
In August 2011, the Filipina singing icon was honored as a Disney Legend for lending her voice to Jasmine and Mulan at the Disney Legends Award at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena.
"Right now, I'm rendered speechless by this... This is a really big deal, and it's wonderful for all these princesses to be honored in such a wonderful way by the Walt Disney Company," she said in her acceptance speech.
Aside from having an outstanding music career, Salonga champions advocacies for queer causes and anti-Asian racism and domestic abuse, among others.
This summer, Salonga will hold a U.K. concert tour titled "Stage, Screen & Everything in Between" from June 21 to July 1.
The tour will start in Wolverhampton and end in Manchester. The second day of her tour will take place at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, where she previously performed as Kim in the 1989 musical "Miss Saigon."
"Returning to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane after all this time is a dream come true. It's an iconic venue that holds such special personal memories -- I cannot wait," she said in a press release, per West End Best Friend.
"I will always be grateful for 'Miss Saigon' and the way that show changed my life -- so to celebrate it once more, back in that beautiful and historic theater will be incredibly special... But where have 35 years gone?" she added.
