Simu Liu Shares About 'Real-life Superpower' As An Asian American
On Saturday, December 11, the Unforgettable Gala was brought back to the Beverly Hilton for the 19th yearly awards night and event honoring Asian and Pacific Islander individuals who have battled for a representation in the arts, Entertainment, and culture. Simu Liu, star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, received the Breakout in Film award, and used the opportunity to speak out about Asian actors breaking down boundaries in cinema, being "unapologetically Asian," and how it is his real-life superpower.
“There are so many people here tonight fighting the good fight…showing me what it means to be unapologetically Asian... The more I think about it, the more it feels like a superpower." Liu went on to thank all of the Asian actors who had appeared in films "fighting this war for representation, for so much longer than I have." He concluded his statement by encouraging the Asian artists to "show the world how f**king cool it is to be Asian."
Simu Liu created history by playing Xu Shang-Chi, a superb martial expert who was groomed as a child to be an assassin by his father Wenwu but travels to San Francisco and alters his identity to Shaun to live a regular life. Eventually, Shang-Chi is forced to face his reality when his father, the leader of the Ten Rings network, drags Shang-Chi and his sibling Xialing into a hunt for a mythical kingdom. The film, which also stars Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung and was premiered worldwide on September 3, became a cultural and economic success, earning $423 million in total.
Liu has utilized his position to speak about concerns impacting Asians in the twenty-first century, similar to his remarks at the Unforgettable Gala. Liu remarked in a commentary article he wrote to Variety earlier this year:
"I worry a lot about my parents these days... According to Stop AAPI Hate, a website that tracks the violence, against Asian Americans, there were over 2,800 reported cases of racism and discrimination between March 19 and December 31 of last year."
He backs up these thoughts with a personal history of prejudice he has faced throughout his life, and he feels there is a shortage of voices supporting the Asian population in the United States. With his breakthrough performance in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu is set to feature in the forthcoming American romance film One True Loves, directed and produced by Andy Fickman and based on Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2016 novel of the same title.
There is no set launch date as of yet. It was also confirmed in September 2021 that Liu will join the English-language production team of Bright: Samurai Soul, a Netflix anime movie that will air on October 12th.
“There are so many people here tonight fighting the good fight…showing me what it means to be unapologetically Asian... The more I think about it, the more it feels like a superpower." Liu went on to thank all of the Asian actors who had appeared in films "fighting this war for representation, for so much longer than I have." He concluded his statement by encouraging the Asian artists to "show the world how f**king cool it is to be Asian."Simu Liu created history by playing Xu Shang-Chi, a superb martial expert who was groomed as a child to be an assassin by his father Wenwu but travels to San Francisco and alters his identity to Shaun to live a regular life. Eventually, Shang-Chi is forced to face his reality when his father, the leader of the Ten Rings network, drags Shang-Chi and his sibling Xialing into a hunt for a mythical kingdom. The film, which also stars Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung and was premiered worldwide on September 3, became a cultural and economic success, earning $423 million in total.Liu has utilized his position to speak about concerns impacting Asians in the twenty-first century, similar to his remarks at the Unforgettable Gala. Liu remarked in a commentary article he wrote to Variety earlier this year:"I worry a lot about my parents these days... According to Stop AAPI Hate, a website that tracks the violence, against Asian Americans, there were over 2,800 reported cases of racism and discrimination between March 19 and December 31 of last year."
He backs up these thoughts with a personal history of prejudice he has faced throughout his life, and he feels there is a shortage of voices supporting the Asian population in the United States. With his breakthrough performance in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu is set to feature in the forthcoming American romance film One True Loves, directed and produced by Andy Fickman and based on Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2016 novel of the same title.There is no set launch date as of yet. It was also confirmed in September 2021 that Liu will join the English-language production team of Bright: Samurai Soul, a Netflix anime movie that will air on October 12th.
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