Simu Liu licks maggot and opens up about childhood in upcoming episode of ‘Running Wild with Bear Grylls’
By Rebecca Moon
In an upcoming episode of “Running Wild with Bear Grylls,” Simu Liu treks the snow-covered Canadian Rockies, where he participates in survival wilderness tasks and opens up about his childhood.
The “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” star joined British adventurer and survivalist Bear Grylls on a two-day wilderness adventure through the Canadian Rockies. The two take on various tasks, from triggering an avalanche to clear a path to descending a 10,000-foot, snow-covered mountain.
For one of their tasks, Liu is asked to bring a frozen maggot back to life with his tongue in order for Grylls to use it as bait and catch a fish with his bare hands.
“It’s like, really cold for a while, and you think it’s just like a little piece of ice, and then it just starts squirming around,” Liu says in the teaser clip.
On their second day, Liu faces the ultimate challenge when he learns to survive extreme cold conditions by plunging into a frozen lake.
The 33-year-old actor also opens up about his childhood and his experience growing up as an Asian American. Liu explains how he felt “invisible” and “not welcome.”
“I always felt invisible for so many reasons. First, because I couldn’t speak to anyone, and then second, I think just because of where we came from, the color of our skin, what we looked like, and that caused us to be discriminated against,” Liu tells Grylls. “Just feeling like you’re not quite welcome.
Liu recalls a time when he stood in line at a supermarket with his parents and explains that while the employees would be friendly and make conversations with others, they would put up “a wall” after realizing that Liu’s parents could not speak English.
“Instead of compassion, which I think you should have for people who are still new to a country and still learning the language, it’s like, ‘Oh you don’t belong here,’” Liu says.
The upcoming episode will air on National Geographic on Aug. 8 at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
Feature Image: Handout
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