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Acting is more than just a passion project for , the star of SBS drama series , the upcoming series , and guest on . She uses it as a platform to explore complex themes of identity and culture as a second-generation Asian immigrant in Australia.
Act one
Li is no stranger to navigating multiple cultures. Her parents migrated from Guangzhou to New Zealand in search of freedom, before finally settling in Sydney. Li was born in Auckland and spent an additional year there with her por por (grandmother), while her parents worked to save money and build a new life in Australia.
"My dad's rural hometown is famous for making fermented black beans, so he grew up eating them a lot," Li recalls. "He only had meat very sparingly or on special occasions like Chinese New Year because it was scarce."
Try Mabel's economical stir-fried potatoes
Sichuan stir-fried potatoes
The actress learned to embrace her Chinese heritage early on and attending a multicultural school helped since she wasn't the only student eating boiled dumplings for lunch or snacking on pork feet with red vinegar for afternoon tea. Li unpacked lots about Asian culture from her lunchbox and the stories her parents shared at dinner about their younger years in Guangzhou. Her dad would remenisce over Cantonese pork ribs and fermented black beans with rice.
They don't really measure ingredients. It's all by feel and experience.
Li's mum's specialty was steamed barramundi – a dish she has since mastered and recreated on The Cook Up.
Mabel's mum's recipe
Cantonese steamed barramundi
"My mum started cooking when she was a kid, so it's in her bones, and the way she learned was just by looking," Li says. "I tried to learn family recipes from [my parents] by helping them cook, but it was a little frustrating because they don't really measure ingredients. It's all by feel and experience."
Li travels a lot for work but loves reuniting with her parents around the dinner table. "Sometimes they'll entice me to come home by texting me a photo of a Peking duck that they've bought or crackling pork they've just cooked," she laughs.
Act two
A young Mabel Li ready to celebrate her birthday. Source: Mabel Li
Li's parents' hard work and sacrifices influenced her decision to pursue acting. She was hesitant at first due to the historical lack of Asian representation on screen and as a result, enrolled in a double degree in international studies and media after graduating from high school.
"I really enjoyed acting and I felt good at it in school, but it didn't really feel like an option because there was no one who looked like me on TV," she says.
After one year at university, Li was surprised to be accepted into the National Institute of Dramatic Art. But she understood the challenges actors with Asian heritage faced in the entertainment industry.
Mabel Li and Kaeng Chan during a Miss Peony Rehearsal at Belvoir. Source: Brett Boardman
"Since I graduated from drama school, the landscape has changed a lot and we're a little more comfortable with having honest conversations about race and systemic oppression in our industry," she says. "It's been really uplifting to see my peers and those around me speak up and be honest about the experience of being in the industry, but there's still a long way to go."
I feel so lucky that I was taught to prioritise pleasure in foods and just enjoy myself listening to my body.
Li also recognises systematic issues within the entertainment industry regarding dieting and pressure to conform to certain body types. However, she draws strength from her Chinese heritage and says she refuses to be a part of that culture.
"I was brought up in a culture that really celebrates food," she says. "When I'm on set and I hear comments about restriction, I feel so lucky that I was taught to prioritise pleasure in foods and just enjoy myself listening to my body."
