Lucy Liu thinks it’s important to make a mess sometimes

Lucy Liu’s 9-year-old son Rockwell never saw his mother draw blood in “Charlie’s Angels” or “Shazam!” Fury of the Gods” and certainly not in “Kill Bill, Vol. 1.”

But the only splash of crimson in her latest film, Red One, is the costume of Santa Claus, who was kidnapped from the North Pole. Liu is one of the stars of the Christmas film alongside Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans and plays the head of security for the world’s mythical creatures.

“This is the only live-action film my son was able to see, and he wanted to watch it again right after,” Liu said in a video call. “I think he forgot that I was actually there once.”

When she’s not filming or producing (she will next be seen in “Presence,” a Steven Soderbergh thriller due in theaters in January), Liu can most often be found in her art studio. She tends to lose track of time there – “the meaning of art,” she said. “You just get lost in this world.”

Liu, who lives in Manhattan, explained why her library card, spontaneous trips to the theater, and riding her bike are crucial to her well-being. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Transcendental meditation

I put together an art book years ago and asked Deepak Chopra if he would write a foreword. He did, but he also asked me to come to his office. He wanted to teach me about meditation. And so he gave me a mantra, and it was an important moment for me because I didn’t know it would make such a big difference.