"You know... I never saw myself as the hero of my own story growing up. I struggled to find any Asian characters onscreen, and there were fewer still that made me feel truly proud of my heritage."
Simu Liu (born April 19, 1989 in Harbin, China) is a Chinese-born Canadian actor, stuntman, writer, and filmmaker.
Liu's Star-Making Role was Jung Kim in the CBC sitcom Kim's Convenience, based on the play of the same name by Ins Choi, and Paul Xie in the drama Blood and Water, for which he received much acclaim. He previously often worked as a stunt performer and played bit roles in Canadian television.
In 2021, Liu portrayed the Marvel Comics character Shang Chi in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, becoming the first Asian lead of an MCU film entry, and helping him to break into the mainstream.
Selected filmography:
- Nikita (2012) as Hong Kong Constable
- Warehouse 13 (2013) as Bartender
- Mayday (2013) as Narita Air Traffic Controller
- Pacific Rim (2013) note
- Out With Dad (2014) as Waiter
- Make It Pop (2015) as Randy
- Taken (2016) as Faaron
- Kim's Convenience (2016 — 2021) as Jung Kim
- Orphan Black (2017) as Mr. Mitchell
- Slasher: Guilty Party (2017) as Luke
- The Expanse (2018) as Lt. Paolo Mayer
- Fresh Off the Boat (2019) as Willie
- Awkwafina is Nora from Queens (2020) as Garbage Boy
- Marvel Cinematic Universe (2021 — present) as Xu Shang-Chi
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- Marvel Zombies (2024)
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (TBA)
- Untitled Shang-Chi sequel (TBA)
- Star Wars: Visions: The Ninth Jedi (2021) as Lah Zhima (voice)
- Bright: Samurai Soul (2021) as Izou (voice)
- StoryBots: Answer Time (2023) as the all-knowing Socradamus
- Barbie (2023) as Rival Ken
- Arthur the King (2024) as Liam
- Atlas (2024) as Harlan
Tropes related to his career:
- Creator Backlash: His brief stint as a stock photo model haunts him, as they are still being used to this day and according to him he doesn't get any royalties from them. Not that it stops him from using them for shits and giggles, though.
- Joke and Receive: He was actually being mostly playful when tweeting out to Marvel about playing Shang-Chi. Imagine Simu's surprise when Kevin Feige took him up on the offer and called him up.
