One Avatar: The Last Airbender star is teasing their changes to Toph for Netflix’s live-action series
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| Nickelodeon |
Netflix's live-action adaptation of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently hard at work on seasons two and three, and the star behind Toph Beifong is teasing some of the changes she’ll be bringing to the live-action series’ version of the character.
The live-action reiteration of Avatar: The Last Airbender made its debut some time ago, and was such a hit with Netflix that it was quickly confirmed that the series would not only make its comeback with a second season but a third as well. This means that the live-action series will be able to adapt the entire animated original before it all comes to an end.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 has yet to announce a release date or window for Netflix as of the time of this publication, but it will be adapting the the Book 2: Earth’s events from the original series. This means fans will be fully introduced to Toph as a new member of Aang’s core group along with many more members of the Earth Kingdom, and star Miya Cech spoke to The Direct about some of the changes that she’ll be making to the character in the new season that is “a little older and slightly more feminine.“
Toph’s Changes for Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2
Cech will be joining the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender with Season 2 of the Netflix live-action series, and the star teased The Direct about some changes coming to her character compared to the animated original, “My version of Toph is going to be a little older and slightly more feminine. I feel like I wanted to work into a very humanizing space for her because, you know, she was a cartoon.” It’s not a dramatically different take on Toph than fans might have seen in the original series, but these changes bring up some key ideas about what was seen in that original incarnation.
Cech also mentioned how she had met with Toph's original voice actor, Michaela Jill Murphy, and how both of them have "a very similar take in terms of process" with the character: "I have met Makayla who plays the voice of Toph, and I feel like we have both a very similar take in terms of process," said Cech.
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| Nickelodeon |
Toph very notable dealt with her seeming lack of femininity in the original Avatar: The Last Airbender series, and ultimately decided that she was proud of who she was. By the time the end of the series rolled around, she was even happy to be represented by a muscular adult man when compared to the rest of Aang’s Gaang.
The most blatant example was in Season 2, Episode 15, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," where she and Katara go on "a girls day out" at a spa. Despite her apprehension, Toph ended up having a great time with Katara, admitting, "I'm not usually into that stuff, but I actually feel...girly," with the two caked in makeup.
It even showed how Toph grappled with her appearance and how it connected to her blindness, ending in a touching moment with Katara, who reaffirmed Toph's best qualities while also affirming to the young Earthbender that she was "really pretty," which Toph appreciated.
This lack of femininity and positive outlook in the face of it was a core tenet of her original character, but it seems like the live-action version will be going in an almost opposite direction by the sounds of this tease.
This is going to be a much different interpretation of Toph’s character, but likely won’t be too much of a shake up when combined with the rest of the adaptation. The first season of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender made many other changes to its take on the original animated series, but nothing that seemed to completely void its own take on the world. While it might not be a direct 1:1 take on these fan favorite characters, there is an audience who will appreciate where this new interpretation of these characters can go.
Another aspect of the character in the live-action series that could be explored more is her knowledge of high society as the child of a wealthy and respected family. While Toph acted nothing of the sort in the animated series, it was because she "learned proper society behavior and chose to leave it."
No matter the changes, executive producer Jabbar Raisani teased fans that Toph's debut and change to the gang's dynamic would be faithful to the animated series. It just depends on how much the live-action series will crank up Toph's limited feminine qualities from the animated series and how it will delve into them.
As for when Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 will hit Netflix, Cech also teased that a 2026 release window is likely for the live-action series. It’s yet to be officially announced whether or not the new season will hit in that time, but it’s also not looking likely that it will hit any time this year. But when it does premiere, fans will be getting a different kind of Toph that Aang and the others will meet and travel around with. It’s just a matter of seeing how different she’ll be.
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Source: ComicBook.com; H/T: Bounding Into Comics.
