The Marvel actor, known for his role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, has spoken out about Hollywood.
On Threads this week, Simu Liu slams Hollywood for a lack of Asian representation. The actor, 35, 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,'” he continued. Liu shared his view on the industry after reading a post asking for more Asian men to be cast in romantic lead roles. The actor references Minari, Farewell, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Crazy Rich Asians, and his own Marvel movie for examples that did well in the box office.
“Every single one a financial success,” Liu added. “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. we’re fighting a deeply prejudiced system. and most days it SUCKS.”
Liu has been known for calling out the lack of representation in Hollywood. In 2023, he replied to an article that noted he was getting “the bulk of Asian male roles.”
Replying to the Facebook post, Liu said, “Way to attempt to put us against one another. What ‘bulk’ of roles are you referring to? Are there movies I’m in that I’m not aware of? Do you really think that there is a quota of ‘Asian male roles’ that is a zero sum game? Every thing I have taken post Shang-Chi was not written Asian. We’ve been able to reshape stories to get more representation onscreen. Get your facts straight.”
But that’s not all. Liu also spoke up in 2021 after then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek called the release plan for Shang-Chi, which made over $430 million at the worldwide box office, an “interesting experiment.”
Liu spoke up, clarifying that “We are not an experiment.”
“We are the underdog: the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers,” the actor had clapped back at the time. “We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise.”