Miya Cech Joins Live Action 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Season 2 As Toph!
· Just Jared Jr.Miya Cech is headed to the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender!
The 17-year-old actress will join the upcoming second season of the Netflix live action series in the role of earthbender Toph Beifong.
Her latest casting news was announced on Thursday (September 19) as part of Netflix’s Geeked Week Live event in Atlanta, Ga.
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“We make a point of reviewing submissions separately and after countless tapes, we both had the same reaction,” Executive Producers Christine Boylan and Habbar Raisani shared in a statement. “Miya is our Toph! Miya is a brilliant performer who knows how to precisely balance the sarcastic sense of humor, stubbornness, and vulnerability that is Toph Beifong. Her physicality and emotional dexterity really put her in a class of one.”
For those that may not know, Toph is a master earthbender who was born blind and trained to feel and sense the world around her.
“I’ve been in boot camp for about a week and a half now and still have a lot of work to do, but it’s super fun,” Miya shared. “I have some martial arts experience. 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.”
Miya is also working with a producer and consultant who is blind and a professional from the blindness community ensuring they are represented appropriately.
“I personally am of Chinese and Japanese American descent and I’m so excited to represent my Chinese heritage in Toph Beifong,” the young actress added. “One of the most incredible aspects of this show is the diversity of the Asian cultures in the ATLA 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 on this show we are all able to represent this world together and work together and collaborate. It’s really amazing and a gift as an actor.”
Miya is no stranger to being on Netflix as she appeared in the YA comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and the Emmy winning series BEEF. She also recently had a recurring role on The Santa Clauses on Disney+ and starred in the Nickelodeon series The Astronauts and Are You Afraid of the Dark?