Lea Salonga Is Entering Her Villain Era — And She’s Loving It

In an exclusive interview, the Broadway and Disney icon opened up about how her new role challenged her and why the project carries a deeper significance beyond acting.

Lea Salonga has built a legacy playing characters defined by courage and kindness — whether as the resilient Kim in “Miss Saigon” or as the singing voice of fearless Mulan in Disney’s “Mulan.” But now, in a striking departure, the Tony-winning singer and actor is tapping into her darker side, making her villainous debut in Season 4 of Fox’s “The Cleaning Lady.” (Watch the video interview above.)

“I don’t get to play the villain very often,” Salonga tells me. “I tend to be associated with women that have a heart of gold, or women who are heroic, or women who are much softer. To play somebody that is not likable is a lot of fun.”

Salonga’s guest appearance on the show marks not just a career shift but also a moment of representation she finds deeply meaningful. She plays Rose, who has married into wealth and revels in flaunting her charitable contributions. However, her so-called generosity is laced with condescension.

As Fox’s first AAPI-led primetime drama and the longest-running network series starring Southeast Asian women, “The Cleaning Lady” is a groundbreaking show that amplifies underrepresented narratives. The show subverts stereotypes by flipping the typical immigrant narrative. Instead of portraying its protagonist, Thony De La Rosa, as a passive victim struggling to assimilate, the Cambodian Filipino doctor is presented as a fiercely resourceful woman who takes control of her circumstances.

After researching the series, Salonga was drawn to its depth and authenticity. “There are underworld elements, there are undocumented people, and there are all these stories that are so human and communities that are vulnerable,” she says. “It means the world that there is a universe in which these kinds of stories are able to attract interest and wide viewership.”