Folks had their doubts, but the Netflix live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) was well-received, all things considered. The eight-episode series that aired last February 22 certainly wasn’t perfect (fans of the OG animation would be happy to point out all the ways the live-action fell short), but overall, it was a great effort and gave us a new show to obsess over. If you’re deep in the ATLA rabbit hole and hungry for more content, here are some fun facts to quench your thirst!

They filmed the show in 2021

We bet you’ve already binged the cast’s press tour, and you were probably confused when you saw Gordon Cormier (Aang) all grown up compared to his on-screen character. That’s because it’s been almost three years since they started shooting. Production and filming began in November 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and ended in June 2022. If they’re making a second season, they better act fast before these kids go through another growth spurt!

Gordon Cormier, who plays Aang, is half-Filipino

Pinoy pride! Yes, the main lead, Avatar Aang himself, is Filipino-Canadian. Cormier’s mother, Genalyn, hails from Sta. Rosa, Laguna. However, he has only visited our country a handful of times. His third and latest was when he and Dallas Liu (Zuko) came to promote Avatar: The Last Airbender in February.

Here’s how to pronounce the name of Katara’s actress IRL

Mohawk Canadian actress Kiawentiio Tarbell brought Katara to life and for that, delighting ATLA fans everywhere. But her unique name has, admittedly, been a challenge for some. ICYDK, it’s pronounced /gya-wuhn-dee-yo/ which means “nice morning” in the Kanienʼkéha language.

Dallas James Liu took up martial arts because of the show

The Internet might be torn about Dallas James Liu‘s portrayal of Prince Zuko, but this actor proves every day that nobody else is fit for the role. Liu started practicing martial arts, Japanese Shotokan, in his case, when he was 5 years old, even competing internationally until he was 13. In an interview, he even said that he watched Avatar: The Last Airbender a lot when he was a kid, which became “the whole reason why [he] did martial arts.” Now, that’s just serendipity.

Liu wasn’t the only cast member who knew martial arts. Cormier also took up the practice when he was only 4 years old.

Ken Leung thought he was auditioning for “blue Avatar”

Veteran actor Ken Leung, who played the ruthless Admiral Zhao, shared a hilarious story about his auditions. Since Netflix kept Avatar: The Last Airbender tightly under wraps, they held auditions “disguised as different projects.”

“When I first heard it was for Avatar, I thought I was going to be blue,” Leung confessed in an interview, referring to the James Cameron film franchise. “I didn’t know the original at all. Maybe it’s an age thing, but I didn’t know about it.”

Uncle Iroh is an award-winning actor

Before he was Uncle Iroh, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee was Mr. Kim in the TV sitcom Kim’s Convenience, where he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series four times. With Uncle Iroh’s loveable wit, you already know Lee was born to play the role!

Elizabeth Yu is the partner of a Stranger Things main cast member

If you got excited over Millie Bobby Brown’s message for the ATLA cast, you’ll be delighted to know that isn’t the two show’s only connection. Elizabeth Yu, who played the fierce Princess Azula, is in a long-term relationship with Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin in Stranger Things. The pair started dating in 2018. Imagine their future kids boasting that their parents played two of the most iconic fictional roles in their generation.

ATLA showrunner has never seen the movie

Albert Kim, ATLA’s showrunner, admitted that he has never seen M. Night Shyamalan’s heavily criticized 2010 movie. “I’ll tell you something, I never watched the Shyamalan movie,” said Kim in an interview. “There was a period of time where I thought I should watch it, but then I thought, I don’t really want those images in my head as I start to go forward with our version of this project. So I avoided it purposefully.”

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