Simu Liu, the first Asian superhero to appear in a Marvel movie, said that he is still trying to comprehend his success. The actor’s memoir “We Were Dreamers” details his rise as an immigrant child and how it affected his family.
Liu said that she would be unapologetic about her origins and who she is. “I will be a representative.”
Liu spent his childhood in China. He was then left with his grandparents when his parents moved to Canada for graduate school. Liu claims that his father, aged four-and-a-half years old, returned to China to bring him to Canada.
He said, “I was being sold this utopia that was like, ‘This is all you ever wanted’ but I had everything in my heart.”
Instead of living with his parents in Toronto, he experienced turmoil both verbally and physically. At times, the actor described his childhood as a war zone.
Chen told Liu that “home was not a safe place for me, especially in my teenage years.” “I went to school because I wanted to escape the home, and I would find ways to meet my friends so I wouldn’t have a reason to go home.”
He revisits the trauma of his childhood and interviews his parents to create his book. He says that he now has a strong relationship with his parents and considers them his best friend.
He said, “I want people to talk about the events in the hope that families like ours will be able to read it and make better choices.”
Liu, a child of fantasy movies, recalled fondly how they provided him with escapism. He praised characters such as Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” classic movie.
Liu stated that Skywalker was “a place I used to picture myself in.” “I wanted that guy.”
He attended business school, but he dropped out after eight months of being an accountant at Deloitte. He stated that it was a liberating moment that drove him to pursue his acting dreams.
The actor landed a role on the CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience in 2016. It follows the lives and struggles of a Korean-Canadian family that runs a convenience store in Toronto.
Liu accepted the role of Shang-Chi within Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” shortly thereafter. He recalled hearing encouraging words from his family during the audition.
My mom once said, “Whether you get the job or not does not change how much you love us.” It’s only a matter time. He recalled that we believe in you. “And that was all I needed to hear. I felt isolated, like a lone wolf against the world. Although I was doing well for myself, I felt that I could have done anything with the support of my family and my community.
Liu stated that his role in the film was a way for him to fulfill his childhood dream. He was named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”, hosted “Saturday Night Live”, and presented at Academy Awards. The actor will next appear alongside Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera in “Barbie”.
Liu said that he hopes his success will help create more representation for Asians in Hollywood.
He said, “I want the stories that really matter to be told so that Asian children, especially, can turn on the TV today and feel what we never felt, which is that ‘This was made just for me.'”
