Simu Liu ‘Nearly Cried’ Putting the Shang-Chi Costume On for the First Time

The 31-year-old Canadian actor spoke to Toronto Life on Jan. 19 about his jump from playing Jung Kim on the television sitcom “Kim’s Convenience” to becoming the first Asian lead in a Marvel movie.

During the interview, Liu mentioned that putting on his superhero costume for the first time was one of the most memorable moments for him during production.

“Marvel has never had an Asian lead, so that was such a rare and impactful moment, for me as an actor but also for people who look like me,” he said. “I nearly cried. It was so emotional.”

Days later, however, the tears of joy changed to frustration.

“And then of course by the fifth day, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I hate this thing, why are there so many zippers?’” Liu jokingly said.

Marvel has been pushing for a more diverse list of superhero movies, starting in 2018 with the late Chadwick Boseman as the star of “Black Panther.”

In 2019, Marvel released the first female-led superhero film “Captain Marvel” with Brie Larson as its lead.

Many fans praised Marvel for finally making a movie with an Asian lead, including “Star Trek: Discovery” star Michelle Yeoh, who was recently confirmed as part of the cast of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

Liu and Yeoh will be joined by other Asian actors such as Awkwafina, Ronny Chieng and Tony Leung.

Feature Image by @simuliu