On the Chinese cast
Martial arts superstar Jackie Chan, singer-songwriter Jay Chou, and household-name actors including Huang Lei, Yang Mi, Zhang Guoli and Wang Zhiwen were part of the "all-star cast" for the Chinese version of Kung Fu Panda 3.
For the director, each cast member was chosen based on the characters. Some had unique voices, such as Meimei played by Yang Mi (who is often criticized for her high-pitched and squeaky voice), and others were selected for their ability to express, such as Mr Ping played by veteran Chinese actor Zhang Guoli.
As for the biological father of Po, played by Chan, Teng deliberately kept Chan's accented Mandarin instead of training him to speak a more standardized tone.
"Chan actually had a dialogue coach next to him, and when he was dubbing, he would ask his coach whether he was pronouncing the right way. But to me, I wanted to keep his accent, so that when he starts talking, the audiences immediately know that it's Jackie Chan. Otherwise, what is the point of hiring him?"
Teng also praised Chou, who voiced the Monkey, for his witty addition of puns to the script.
"He got into the state very soon, and knew where it would be perfect to add his catchphrase ('Oh, that's cool', recognizable by practically all Chinese audiences who know Chou) into the script. It was really cool," praised Teng.
As for whether the romance between Po and Meimei would unfold in the fourth installment, Teng is keeping mum.
"Judging from Po's pace, he hasn't gotten into the romantic phase yet in the third film, and it's hard to tell what would happen in the fourth. If the audiences think the third one is better than the previous two, then my mission is complete."
