‘It’s a big moment for our community’: Simu Liu on being Marvel’s first Asian lead
In 2018 Simu Liu sent a tweet in which he asked Marvel “are we gonna talk or what?”, and used the hashtag #ShangChi.
Now, in a storyline perhaps worthy of its own Hollywood movie, the actor’s first film as the superhero is hitting cinemas across the world.
And Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings isn’t just a dream come true for Liu – as the character is Marvel’s first Asian superhero – the movie marks a milestone moment for many film fans who have been waiting to feel represented by the studio and within the genre.
Liu is playing Shang-Chi. Pic: Marvel Studios
“It’s a big moment for our community, obviously, and for me personally, too,” Liu told Sky News.
“It’s my first feature film in the Hollywood world and I didn’t want to do anything less than the absolute best.”
The film is an origin story, and sees Shang-Chi forced to confront a past he thought he’d left behind.
It’s also an action movie, with huge amounts of martial arts – something Liu admits he wasn’t ready for when he first won the role.
“I had some stunt background and a background in gymnastics, but by no means was I some sort of Jackie Chan or a Bruce Lee, like a pure master of the art – and I knew that I had my work cut out for me,” he said.
“But that being said, I think that’s the challenge that every actor faces when they’re taking on a role and whether it’s martial arts or playing piano or violin or figure skating or whatever you have, it’s our job to immerse ourselves and fully commit to selling the reality of the character.
Liu says he had to train for the role. Pic: Marvel Studios
“So for about four months in Sydney, leading up to the start of photography, I worked, I want to say five or six hours a day, five days a week in the stunt department, and then I did an hour, an hour and a half of strength and conditioning, so I definitely took it seriously.”
In another first for Marvel, the film has a mostly Asian cast, which includes Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh and the legendary Tony Leung.
Liu has joked on Twitter about how tough it is to impress his parents – but in working with Leung, he definitely had their attention.
Awkwafina (R) also stars in the film. Pic: Marvel Studios
He said they would call every week during production.
Liu explained: “Every time they’d call they’d be like, ‘How’s Tony?’ I’d be like ‘Tony’s fine – I’m also doing OK, Mom. Thank you!’ But that’s all she wanted to know.
“She was absolutely gutted that Tony couldn’t make it out to the premiere because she was, more than her own son having a movie premiere, she was looking forward to having a picture with Tony Leung.
“So I look forward to the day where I can finally fulfil my mother’s wish, but until then, maybe not fully proud of me just yet.”
And it’s not just Liu’s Mum who is seemingly star-struck by the veteran actor – Liu heaped praise on his co-star, calling him “magnetic and compelling”
“It’s just such an honour to go to work with him every day,” Liu said.
Liu said working with Tony Leung was an ‘honour’. Pic: Marvel Studios
“I think about a movie star of his stature, right, with his body of work in Asia and just being as A-list as he is, he really just comes off as so down to earth, so grounded, approachable, very gentle, soft spoken guy, very friendly too and so there was a lot of great times hanging out off set and also in between takes.
“He’s [got a] very, very incredible work ethic, he shows up to work, he never has his phone, he always is around set and never goes back to his trailer, is just so incredibly focussed on the work and, you know, I think lifted the rest of us up with him, so it was truly a joy to work with him every day.”
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is out in cinemas in the UK on Friday.
Entertainment
‘People want you to stay in your lane’: Reese Witherspoon on her ‘deeply personal’ decision to write a novel
It is “pretty surreal”, Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon admits, finding herself at the top of The New York Times bestsellers list.
When I meet the actress alongside her co-writer, best-selling author Harlan Coben, overnight the pair have learned that their thriller is now at number one.
He jokes: “I was texting her last night and saying you’ll now have to call yourself number one bestselling novelist, forget about Oscar winner!”
Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben told Katie Spencer about their novel Gone Before Goodbye
As one of the most successful authors in the world, Coben has sold over 80 million books to date, while for Witherspoon this is new ground.
Not content with running a hugely successful production company responsible for a string of hits, as well as one of the most successful book clubs in the world, she explains she felt compelled to give writing a try.
“People want you to stay in your lane… as a creative person I think it’s impossible to just choose one kind of life.
“Creativity is infinite and who I was as a creative person when I was 20 is very different from the person I am now at 49.”
Gone Before Goodbye, a thriller about a talented surgeon who finds herself caught up in a deadly conspiracy, is the result of Witherspoon daring to put her head above the parapet.
Witherspoon says she felt compelled to give writing a try
Coben admits he was “a little wary” at first.
“I don’t co-write novels but when she made the pitch and started talking about it, I was like ‘dang that’s good, we can do something with that’.”
While countless celebrities work with ghostwriters, Coben says: “I said to her from day one ‘it’s only going to be you and me in here… no third person in here, I don’t do that’. So every word you [read] comes from Reese and me.”
Coben has sold over 80 million books to date, while for Witherspoon this is new ground
Witherspoon explains: “He was like ‘if we’re going to do this, it’s going to have to be at a really high level because people going to expect a lot, so our bar was really high.”
“I said to her, in the beginning, novels are like a sausage,” Coben laughs. “You might like the final taste, but you don’t want to see how it was made and Reese got to see the full sausage getting made here.”
Read more from Sky News:
Bob Vylan’s gig postponed
Tainted Love star dies
Strictly stars to quit
When it came to writing, Coben says they “fell into a rhythm right away”, working together in three-hour stints, “back and forth with a yellow legal pad – what about this? What about that?”
Coben says they ‘fell into a rhythm right away’
Witherspoon says it “feels really deeply personal” to have their work now in print.
“Usually, as an actor, I walk into other people’s worlds and it’s already set up… but this was creating the whole world with Harlan and just from beginning to end feels very personal.”
While the story seems an obvious fit for being adapted to the screen, perhaps with a certain blonde actress in the leading role, Coben says that was never their intention.
“The biggest, biggest mistake novelists make when you write a book is to say ‘this would make a really great movie’. A book is a book, a movie is a movie, and we both focused on wanting this to be just a great reading experience.”
Given that their collaboration is already selling in big numbers, will the pair team up again to write a second?
Witherspoon says: “Let’s just see what people think of this one first.”
Kim Kardashian has revealed that she has been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm.
- Footage from the latest season of The Kardashians shows the reality TV star going for an imaging scan.
The 45-year-old appears to suggest her small aneurysm may have stemmed from stress.
Brain aneurysms are relatively common, with data suggesting they affect about one in every 50 people.
In many cases, patients may be unaware that they have one – as they tend to cause few symptoms when unruptured.
Brain aneurysms are common but often go undiagnosed. iStock file pic
Should an unruptured aneurysm grow to a larger size, it can cause headaches, balance problems and speech issues.
Those that burst are extremely dangerous and can prove fatal in some circumstances.
While aneurysms can emerge throughout the body, they are most typically found in the aorta, which carries blood out of the heart.
Research suggests brain aneurysms are most common in adults between the ages of 30 and 60 – with women disproportionately affected.
Read more entertainment news:
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman to leave Strictly
Bob Vylan’s Manchester gig is postponed
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
May: Eight found guilty over Kim Kardashian Paris heist
Associate professor of neurology Dr Laura Stein told Sky’s US partner NBC News: ” The most well-described risk factors include a predisposition [family history of aneurysm], high blood pressure, cigarette smoking and inflammation.”
She went on to explain that most fatal ruptured aneurysms are in the brain, killing about one in three patients.
“When it’s a blood vessel that’s in the head and it bleeds, there’s a much higher risk of having a very bad problem just because the brain is enclosed in a fixed space,” Dr Stein added.
Low-risk aneurysms are monitored by doctors for growth or abnormalities, and there are a series of potential treatment options for those considered dangerous.
Elsewhere in The Kardashians clip, Kim admitted that her ex-husband Kanye West will be in her life “no matter what” because of the four kids they share together.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024