How Did “Shang-Chi” Leading Actor Simu Liu Get Marvel’s Attention?
A few days ago, Marvel Studios announced Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu (劉斯穆) is set to lead its first Chinese superhero movie Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings, while Hong Kong veteran actor Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (梁朝偉) will play the villain, The Mandarin. Although this casting announcement has been a long time coming, many Marvel fans are actually unfamiliar with Simu.
He Was an Accountant
Despite landing such a prominent role, Simu is not a famous Hollywood actor (yet), and he does not have many well-known works under his belt. Born in China, the 30-year-old immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of five and went on to graduate from the University of Western Ontario. After college, Simu worked as an accountant at Deloitte for a year before getting laid off.
His Notable Works
Changing career paths, he joined the entertainment industry and made a name for himself by playing Jung Kim in Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience <金氏便利店>. Before then, he was a series regular on the Canadian TV show, Blood and Water <血與水>, for which he also served as the show’s screenwriter. Simu won two nominations for Blood and Water, including the ACTRA Award for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor” and the Canadian Screen Award for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series.”
Named as One of the 25 Hottest Bachelors
In 2017, Hello! magazine selected him as one of the 25 hottest bachelors, and there’s a reason why. Not only does the 6-feet tall actor flaunt his six-pack via topless photos on social media, but it is also known that Simu has a background in martial arts training.
How He Landed the Role
Since he’s relatively unknown in the film industry, many fans were surprised by the casting results. However, Simu’s tweet might have been a deciding factor. It turns out he tagged Marvel Studios in his tweet last December that read, “Ok Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi.”
He only heard from Marvel recently, and auditioned for the role in New York last Sunday. Things progressed quickly from thereon. “I found out I was cast on Tuesday,” Simu revealed of his surreal experience.
Source: Hk01
This article is written by MelodyC for JayneStars.com.
Hopefully MCU will continue their tie-in arch that they created for past decades. I know that ended with the End Game, but it took so much creativity, teamwork, dedication to weave all that together. So hopefully Shang-Chi is tie to that universe. Then again, they already used the Mandarin in Ironman…
Did Tony attend the Comic Con??? I would’ve if I were him. Bat shyte crazy fun lol.
@jjwong
The Mandarin is Iron Man 3 is fake. That’s what I heard. Marvel made a short video clarifying that Ben Kingsley’s character only pretended to be The Mandarin. The real Mandarin is someone else.
Tony didn’t attend. Neither did Akwafina. From the video clip posted in youtube, I only see Simu Liu and the director.
So excited to see him! I only know of him from Blood and Water, and I had a good impression of his acting skills. (:
From this article, seems like he quite talented and he knows martial arts (that’s very important for a Shang Chi actor). So, maybe he will do Shang Chi’s justice.
And I like his Tweet to Marvel. 🙂
It was reported that he was a film extra in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. I was also in Pacific Rim as a film extra. I probably crossed paths with this guy on many occasions. I oughta ask my fellow BG’s if we did indeed hang with Simu. I honestly can’t remember.
@tinlunlau
Wow! That must be a great experience. Did you get to see the director up close?
@tinlunlau
must had been fun. i had always wanted to participate as an extra just to see what it is like.
Just finish watching the youtube video properly. This guy looks better on moving screen than in still pictures.
I’m from Toronto and my brother-in-law has mutual friends with him! He’s better known in our city locally because of Kim’s Convenience but other than that, it’s true that he’s relatively unknown to the rest of the world. Pretty cool that he got cast though!
He was a guest at an Asian festival last year here so I caught a glimpse of him. Although both his parents are Chinese, his style/look is more Western (like Henry Golding type) so I guess that helps with the Hollywood market? Not my type of guy haha but I do know some girls who find him hot.
@1piscesish
some bloggers on this forum say he has a stereotypical Chinese face. He’s not as handsome as Shawn Dou or Godfrey Gao, but he’s definitely attractive with a hot bod.
@msxie0714 he does have a typical China-man face. Not my cup of tea even if he has nice physique.
@msxie0714 I’d say he has a stereotypical Chinese face to westerners, but probably not to actual Chinese audience because nowadays, the trending Chinese celebrities go for the “pretty boy” look.
Simu is smokin hot!