Actor Simu Liu is gracing the cover of Men’s Health for June, making him the magazine’s first East Asian cover model in over a decade.
Hero on the cover: Liu, who stars in the upcoming “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” announced the milestone via a tweet on Wednesday.
- “I am SO very excited to present to you the June cover of @MensHealthMag,” Liu posted along with images from the cover shoot.
- “You know it’s a big deal because I gave up boba for weeks for this shoot… WEEKS!”
- Liu first wrote he was the first-ever East Asian cover model for Men’s Health but later corrected it, saying Jet Li was featured in 2010.
Hey guys sorry; Mens Health just informed me that they actually did just find a cover featuring Jet Li in 2010. Apologies!!
— Simu Liu (刘思慕) (@SimuLiu) May 19, 2021
Cover story: In his Men’s Health interview, the Chinese Canadian actor shared his thoughts on leading the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to center around an Asian superhero.
- “I am that person that struggled with my identity my whole life. I am that person that’s always felt like he wasn’t enough,” he explained. “And those [experiences] are more core to Shang-Chi’s character than his ability to punch people.”
- Initially, when the film was announced in 2018, Liu revealed that he was “almost disappointed” with how the character tied in Chinese stereotypes.
- As it turned out, director Destin Daniel Cretton and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige wanted to dive more into the character to emphasize the Asian American experience on the big screen.
- “Kung fu for kung fu’s sake, as an aesthetic or a prop, that’s where it starts to get tropey and dangerous,” Liu said.
- Liu also said that anyone with a platform, him in particular as the first Asian superhero, has a responsibility to speak out about the rise of anti-Asian violence.
- “We’re experiencing harassment and violence at an unprecedented level, and it’s just very important to be a guy that stands up and says, ‘Hey, this is not okay,'” said Liu.
Featured Image via Men’s Health
