Miya Cech, Netflix 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' EPs Talk Toph Casting
Hear from the actress and the de facto showrunners as they discuss the process and the excitement
It was at the live Geeked Week event Thursday night that Netflix revealed that season 2 of their adaptation of the classic Nicktoon Avatar: The Last Airbender was now in production with Miyako “Miya” Cech cast in the the role of Toph Beifong. With work well underway, none of the cast could attend in person, but they, including Miya were watching along in high anticipation and excitement for her of the reveal, and it turns out there was quite a bit more to say.
In a video released to show socials, Cech, who has also appeared in The Santa Clauses and Young Rock, tells she is “ecstatic” and has wanted to play Toph for so long, that she had been dreaming of it since she was “a little girl” and with the spirit of her ten-year-old self she is living her best life. While Cech has experience playing characters with similar dry humor and sarcasm, Toph feels particularly special to her because she “is a completely unique character” and that “No one is like her.” She also loved her new job’s first season. “I have to admit that Gordon [Cormier]’s Aang made me cry several times. Now it’s completely unbelievable that I get to be part of this world too!”
Cech also calls portraying Toph an opportunity to honor her heritage. “I personally am of Chinese and Japanese American descent and I’m so excited to represent my Chinese heritage in Toph Beifong,” she says. “One of the most incredible aspects of this show is the diversity of the Asian cultures in the Avatar: The Last Airbender world. Even though the universe is fantasy, it feels like every culture is represented in some way and tied to the history and traditions of that culture or country. Just a few years ago, you might have seen one or two of these actors in a show or movie, but… we are all able to represent this world together and work together and collaborate. It’s really amazing and a gift as an actor.” She reveals she’s been in boot camp since about the start of the previous week, calling it “super fun” with her previous martial arts experience and a lot of work still to do, adding, “I have a great instructor who I take private classes with back home in Northern California, and he keeps me in shape when I’m not working. I also have some dance experience from when I was younger that has been very helpful as I learn about Toph’s movements.” The tease of Toph that focused on her feet and only saw part of her leg, combined with actor inexperience should probably make clear that it wasn’t Cech doing it, especially as she hasn’t seen Toph’s costume yet. However she remarks “I truly can’t wait to see it and wear it for the first time. However, we have tested some looks for her iconic hairstyle. Just seeing my ‘Toph do’ was surreal.”
Executive producers Jabbar Raisani and Christine Boylan, who have taken up showrunning-level duties since Albert Kim stepped down, reveal there were “thousands upon thousands” of auditions submitted for the character, but both knew quite quickly that Cech was the perfect fit. “We make a point of reviewing submissions separately and after countless tapes, we both had the same reaction: Miya is our Toph!” they explain, calling Miya a “brilliant performer” who “knows how to precisely balance the sarcastic sense of humor, stubbornness, and vulnerability that is Toph Beifong.” further elaborating “Her physicality and emotional dexterity really put her in a class of one.” Like the many who anticipated the casting once the series officially received its renewal to complete the source material’s full story, Boylan and Raisani consider Toph one of their favorite characters. “We love how her abrasively hilarious energy complements and clashes with the rest of the Gaang and can’t wait to see that dynamic come to life on set. She’s funny, she’s very smart about the world around her, and a very accomplished earthbender. Underneath all that, she’s got emotional layers we can’t wait to explore.”
“Unlike some of the actors in Season 1, I did know that I was auditioning for Toph, even though the audition material had dummy sides with different names and storylines. I had two taped auditions, a taped callback, and two in-person auditions with the casting team and producers, including a chemistry read with Gordon.” Cech described “A couple of days after the chemistry read with Gordon, casting asked me to do ‘one last’ Zoom callback with the stunt coordinator. I had never had a stunt callback before, so I actually asked my martial arts instructor to do Zoom with me the night before to get in shape. It turned out that there was no callback. They called to say I had booked it. I was in such shock that I think I just started crying.” And while no, Cech isn’t blind, nor someone who meets the low vision threshold the casting call was looking for or preferring, she will also be working with a producer and consultant, who is blind and a professional from the blindness community, to make sure the blindness community is represented appropriately.
Toph’s original voice on the animated series, Michaela Jill Murphy, who went by Jessie Flower back when she was in the role, posted to Instagram her congratulations while making sure people knew how to pronounce Cech’s name (Mee-yuh Check). Cech joins a cast that features a Team Avatar of Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, and present but not officially team yet Maria Zhang as Suki and Dallas Liu as Zuko.
Source: Tudum