Phillipa Soo first heard of Chang’e, the famed goddess of Chinese mythology who lives forever on the moon, from a children’s book read to her by her parents.
It wasn’t until the “Hamilton†actress was cast as the legend in the Netflix animated feature “Over the Moon†that she researched the myth’s many versions across Asian cultures.
In some, her lover Houyi set aside immortality pills for them to be together forever, but Chang’e nobly ingested them both to stop an enemy from stealing them.
Others say she selfishly took the two for herself and fled to the moon with a rabbit in tow, leaving her lover alone on Earth.
“She’s very beautiful and revered, and she’s a big part of the Moon Festival,†said producer Peilin Chou?
So when a grief-stricken teen named Fei Fei (Cathy Ang) builds a rocket to the moon, the curtain falls to reveal Chang’e, an unfathomably fabulous pop star.
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Phillipa Soo, who voices the Chinese moon goddess Chang’e, performs the pop song in the animated movie.
Like the changing phases of the moon, Chang’e has many sides, mirrored by the tempos and themes of her songs.
In the hip-hop-driven “Hey Boy,†Chang’e dons a modern sports outfit — “integrating the traditional Chinese stand-up collar and wide-sleeved design, and some traditional Chinese cloud patterns,†said Pei — for a pingpong match that goes awry.
“It’s clear she’s got a lot of personal feelings she has to work through,†said Soo.
And she’s left to learn — amid sudden heartbreak and disappointment — that though they won’t ever be together again, their love remains eternal.
“But this time, it feels more transparent or as if it were cracked open because she’s not just singing it up to the sky, she’s singing it to another person
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