Simu Liu on playing Marvel’s first Asian superhero

Liu said the most challenging aspect of the film was getting the physicality of the superhero right and it required him to train for months.

Chinese-Canadian star Simu Liu says he is aware that being the first Asian to headline a Marvel film comes with a huge responsibility but hopes that his work in “Shang-Chi” will speak to an audience that has rarely found “aspirational” representation on screen.
Liu has headlined Marvel Studios’ martial arts superhero film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, scheduled to be released in the country on September 3.

“I don’t want to call it pressure, but there is a sense that this is more than just a role that you take, go to work, say lines and go home. This is a moment in culture, a moment in history and hopefully, it will be followed by many more just like it.” For the China-born actor, who migrated to Canada at the age of five, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” serves as a testimony that dreams come true, especially for those who may have struggled to see themselves represented in pop culture.

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Directed by Daniel Destin Cretton, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is Liu’s first major feature film, after his work as an extra in filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 sci-fi actioner “Pacific Rim” and later his lead role in popular Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience”.

Liu said the most challenging aspect of the film was getting the physicality of the superhero right and it required him to train for months.

While Shang Chi is the master of kung fu, Liu quipped he only came with the experience of doing gymnastics in his backyard with friends and “almost breaking his neck” while performing backflips.

“So, that was the level I was at and the level I knew I had to rise to, in order to convincingly play somebody who is that good at martial arts and proficient at hand-to-hand combats. Pretty much from the day I got cast, I started working,” he said.

Liu said he worked hard with his trainers in Toronto and had an entire stunt team at his disposal when he landed in Sydney in October 2019, just three months before the film’s shooting.