Who is Maria Zhang? Get to know Suki’s character from Avatar: The Last Airbender

Maria Zhang has breathed life into Suki from Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The 24-year-old actress was featured as the intimidating leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, an all-woman fighting force determined to protect their community.

In the live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated series, Suki had a brief romance with Sokka, a non-bender warrior from Southern Water Tribe and the overconfident brother of Katara.

Let’s dig into the real person behind the fierce Suki.

Zhang was born in Poland but raised in Beijing, China, by her parents. Later, she moved to Southern California in the United States to attend college.

The actress, who lived in three different counties before even graduating college, is skilled enough to speak at least four languages.

In an interview with Mixed Asian Media, Zhang shared that she first stepped into acting through an Alice in Wonderland theatre production in Poland.

She confessed that those plays kindled her passion for acting, “I just knew in my heart that that’s when I was the happiest. That’s what I love the most. And here I am doing it.”

Additionally, the prodigy who showcased her acting chops with the mastery of hand fans, Zhang, is also a whiz in drawing and sewing.