Canadian actor Simu Liu, who broke barriers as Marvel's first Asian superhero lead, is calling out what he describes as an 'appalling' retreat in Hollywood's commitment to on-screen diversity for Asian actors.
A System of Prejudice and Financial Success
The star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings took to Threads on Sunday to voice his frustration. Liu was responding to a compilation of articles discussing the state of representation for Asian men in film. He directly challenged the perception that casting Asian actors is a financial risk for studios.
Liu wrote, 'Put some asians in literally anything right now. The amount of backslide in our representation onscreen is f**king appalling. Studios think we are ‘risky.’
Proof in the Box Office Numbers
The actor quickly dismantled the 'risk' argument by pointing to a string of critically and commercially successful films with Asian leads. He listed Crazy Rich Asians (2018), The Farewell (2019), Minari (2020), Past Lives (2023), and the Oscar-sweeping Everything Everywhere All at Once (2023). Liu emphasized that every single one was a financial success.
He highlighted a stark double standard in the industry, stating, 'No asian actor has ever lost a studio even close to 100 million dollars but a white dude will lose 200 million TWICE and roll right into the next tentpole lead.' Liu concluded that the community is 'fighting a deeply prejudiced system.'
A History of Speaking Out
This is not the first time the China-born, Canadian-raised actor has used his platform for advocacy. Liu has a history of speaking out on cultural and political issues. In 2022, he publicly criticized acclaimed directors Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino for their dismissive comments about Marvel films.
More recently, he discussed with Variety his willingness to confront right-wing politics online, acknowledging he 'probably should be more scared' of the backlash. He expressed distaste for the toxic 'energy' of online platforms, where people are driven to 'put an entire group of people down.'
The original social media post that sparked Liu's response specifically demanded that Hollywood cast more Asian men in romantic lead roles, a sentiment echoed by other actors like Manny Jacinto, John Cho, and Daniel Dae Kim.
