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A big year is coming up for everyone who looks forward to upcoming superhero movies, as we’re heading into the 2026 movie schedule, and the eventual release of Avengers: Doomsday which is currently about a year away. It will bring a huge number of Marvel stars together, including Simu Liu, who’s finally reviving Shang-Chi for another live-action adventure. While nabbing the role was a major feat for him, he’s now opened up about the difficulties of working in Hollywood as an Asian actor.
What Simu Liu Said About Being An Asian Actor In Hollywood
Many actors of color have noted for many decades that they have an uphill battle when it comes to not just getting work, but being offered good roles that aren’t based in stereotypes and having opportunities to land parts as the main protagonist in movies and TV shows. While one might think that this wouldn’t have been an issue for Simu Liu since he lobbied for and won the titular role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, he’s revealed that that’s not the case.
Despite the fact that the film, which joined the Marvel movies in order in 2021, did blockbuster business during the incredibly unsure days of the pandemic, starring in the film hasn’t given Liu access to the kinds of acting offers one would think. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about his upcoming series, The Copenhagen Test (which you can watch with a Peacock subscription), he was asked what he wishes he’d known about success as an actor before he hit the big time with Shang-Chi, and Liu answered:
That it’s a marathon, and that and success is defined by longevity more than just the bigness of a single moment. And then with the caveat that it’s gonna be a lot harder for you than if you were white. Maybe that’s a controversial thing to say or a hot take.
While things like the viral #OscarsSoWhite campaign have come along in recent years to drive home just how hard it is for the achievements of people of color in Hollywood to be recognized, the issue frequently starts with many in marginalized communities not even having strong opportunities to showcase their talents to begin with. And, this is what the Barbie actor has found since his superhero lead role. He continued:
But I’ve watched a lot of actors’ careers over the past few years since I’ve had my moments. Seeing firsthand just why a system is made and why a system helps a certain type of actor that, once they get their moment, it becomes infinitely easier for them to get their next and then their next. That has not been the case for me at all. I still very much feel like I have an uphill battle every single day. The things that come across my desk, I don’t know if this is the best stuff for me. I wish it were better.
As he noted, he has worked over the past four years, with projects like the aforementioned mega-hit, Barbie, helping to keep his name and face in the conversation. However, even with that and the success of Shang-Chi under his belt, his early struggles as an actor haven’t fully ended, as he also pointed out that his upcoming series is his first leading role since his Marvel debut was released. About the types of projects he’s been offered in that time, he said:
Tiny, tiny budget [projects], playing third or fourth lead. Maybe a villain. But never the main character, never the proxy for the audience. Only somebody who gets to be a piece of it. And a substantial piece, don’t get me wrong. I’m not ungrateful. But once Shang-Chi came out and had the moment that it did, I was a little surprised by how few No. 1 roles came across my desk. Whereas, if it had happened to somebody else, a different actor who looked differently, I think those offers would’ve come a lot quicker and more abundantly.
How changes can be made so that more people from a broad spectrum of humanity have good opportunities and aren’t shut out of Hollywood appears to be a conversation that still needs to be had. Hopefully, Liu speaking out will only help to shed more light on an issue that has lingered for a long time.