The newest superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a bona fide hit, and the man behind the Simu Liu is getting some serious attention. So, who is the breakthrough star and how has landing a Marvel role changed his life?
Let’s find out.
1. He can do a tricky stunt — and your taxes, too
A definite smarty pants, Liu graduated with honors from the University of Western Ontario in 2011, having earned a degree in business administration. He then worked as an accountant before realizing a career behind a desk wasn’t quite his speed. The 32-year-old soon transitioned to the film industry, making ends meet as a set extra and a stuntman in productions including Nikita, Beauty and the Beast, and Heroes: Reborn.
2. He’s been around longer than you think
Liu’s most dedicated fans know that Shang-Chi is far from the Chinese Canadian actor’s first appearance on the small screen. He won an ACTRA Award in 2017 (and was nominated again in 2018) for his role as in Kim’s Convenience, a CBC sitcom about a Korean Canadian family that owns a convenience store in Toronto, and garnered similar acclaim for his performance in the crime drama Blood and Water.
Liu also has credits for tons of popular shows like the TV remake of the Liam Neeson movie Taken, Orphan Black, Fresh Off the Boat, and Awkwafina is Nora from Queens. He’s even appeared in two music videos, playing an office worker in the video for Avicii & Nick Romer’s “I Could Be The One” and starring as himself from the film for DJ Snake ft. Rick Ross & Rich Brian’s “Run It.”
3. Joining the Marvel Universe has been really good for his bank account
While Liu wasn’t exactly searching the couch for pennies before he won the role of Shang-Chi, becoming a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe definitely comes with considerable financial gains. Experts estimate that Liu's net worth jumped from $4 million to a whopping $19 million in 2021, and it looks like at least some of the extra cash will be funneled into real estate. Keep an eye out for Liu on the fourth season of Selling Sunset, where he’ll work with agent Chrishell Stause to find a new pad in LA.
4. He's proud of his heritage and happy to be making history
Simu Liu has the distinction of being the first person of Asian ascent to have a starring role in a superhero film, and the actor is well aware that his new role is a very big deal. In an August tweet sent out in anticipation of his film’s impending release, Liu wrote, “We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.”