Talking With Simu Liu

Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi, Marvel’s newest superhero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The movie hits theaters on September 3. Scholastic MATH spoke to Liu about what it was like becoming a Marvel superhero and why the role is special for him.

What does the role of Shang-Chi mean to you?
Shang-Chi is the first Asian title superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that’s an important distinction and an important milestone. When the movie was first announced, I was immediately so excited. I didn’t know that I would necessarily get to play that character, but of course I was so encouraged by the fact that it was out there, and the fact that somebody would get to take up that mantle and would get to represent us in that way. I feel like we’ve all waited a long time to see ourselves on screen portrayed in this kind of way. I think it’s a really special moment, and I hope that it’s the first of many.

What was your favorite part about playing Shang-Chi? 
My favorite part is waking up every day and realizing that this is real life. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be here. I can honestly say it’s been the most grueling and hardest thing I’ve ever done, but easily the most fulfilling, whether it’s doing action sequences that have been choreographed and designed by some of the most incredible action designers and martial artists in the world, or getting to act opposite some of the most incredibly talented people that have ever graced the screen.

Every day feels like it’s full of its own set of blessings. Now, that having been said, there are a lot of days where I go home and my entire body is sore. I’m not saying that those days don’t exist. But even then, even when I'm so, so tired, I still never lose sight of the fact that this is just such a historic and significant moment. And to be a part of that is so incredible, and I can’t say enough how grateful I am for it.

What do you think makes Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings exciting?
The action sequences are really incredible. We have assembled a stunt team from all over the world. We have martial artists from China, and we have elite horseback riders and archers from Mongolia. And we have movement artists and parkour masters from Australia and from the United States and from Canada.

They’ve assembled this international team who are all masters of their respective crafts and brought them all together and thrown them into a big action sequence think tank just to see what they can cook up. And, certainly, every time I walk through the stunt stage, I see little pieces of what they’re cooking. And it’s always so great.

They come at it from such a position of creativity and childlike wonder of what is the craziest thing that we can do here? What is the way we can push the envelope. And I think that if you just have that mentality every single day, you’re bound to come up with something that’s new and fresh and exciting. And that’s certainly what we do here.

Did you have experience with any kind of martial art before taking the role?
When I was 16, I learned how to do a back flip, and that was kind of it for my martial arts training. But I liked watching Jackie Chan and Jet Li movies, and I really wished that I could do more martial arts. My parents, unfortunately, didn’t really let me do martial arts when I was a kid. They thought it was too dangerous, and they preferred that I study piano and math. I very dutifully did those things, but I always really wanted to do martial arts. And the great thing about this movie is that I’ve had the opportunity to taste so many different styles of martial arts across the spectrum.

What can audiences expect when they see this movie?
I think that there are sequences and moments that you’ve never seen in a Marvel movie before that are going to surprise you, that are going to electrify you and that are going to compel you. You really just have to see it to believe it. There are some really incredible and creative sequences that our designers have come up with. I think it’s going to raise the bar for not only Marvel movies but just movies in general.