Fan Expo and the 5 things to learn about Mississauga and Marvel super hero Simu Liu
Published August 26, 2024 at 9:00 am
“I’m home.”
Those were the first words from Mississauga action hero Simu Liu at a panel discussion at Fan Expo on Saturday, with the Marvel super star fielding questions from moderator Victor Dandridge (“the hardest working man in comics”) for an appreciate crowd at Convocation Hall in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Liu has been on a roll in the past decade, turning a choice role in the CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience (2016-2021) into super hero status as the title character in Marvel’s Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings and a spot on the bill for last summer’s blockbuster hit Barbie.
Born in Harbin, China and raised in Mississauga’s Erin Mills neighbourhood, Liu, now 35, has never forgotten those roots or the path he took to get to his position among Hollywood’s elites.
Here’s the Top Five things (plus a few more) to learn about Simu Liu.
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Most difficult stunts
The bus fight on the streets of San Francisco tops the list for Liu, who remembers the scene – one the best action sequences in the entire Marvel Comic Universe – where he’s swinging from the roof of the bus back inside to continue his fight with Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu), a member of the Ten Rings who has a machete blade for a right hand.
Liu, who performed many of his own stunts in the film, said most of the other tough stunts were “the one’s you don’t think were all that difficult.”
“I get pretty competitive, so I get on set and I say, ‘I can do that.’ And I can’t, I tap out,” he told the audience at the panel with a chuckle. “It’s mostly the ones where I get destroyed. Even the stunt guys nearly got concussed on a few of those.”
Favourite Karaoke Songs
Liu loves to perform karaoke to blow off some steam. “It’s something that’s totally separate from what I do in the movies.”
If it’s a duet, he’s choosing A Whole New World from Aladdin. On his own? Something from Eminem, which prompted Dandridge to suggest a trip to a Toronto karaoke bar. “Probably in Koreatown,” Liu added.
Impact of Kim’s Convenience
The Canadian television series about a Korean-Canadian family and their variety store in Toronto’s Moss Park neighbourhood, which first aired in October 2016, was the launching pad for Liu’s career. The actor, raised just a few miles to the west of the set, is very much aware of both the importance of the show to his career path and the impact it had on Canadian television viewers.
“Even after the super hero movies and Barbie, Kim’s Convenience is still what I’m known for,” Liu said, adding that the sitcom was a “beautiful way for families to connect with different cultures.”
“It’s the show that gave me everything. “I’m so grateful.”
Turning the exploitive origins of Shang-Chi upside down
The character was created in 1973 and contained plenty of racial and stereotypical tropes typical of the times, including his father being Dr. Fu Manchu, also known as the Mandarin – which Marvel addressed in a way in Iron Man 3. It was first created by non-Asian people, Liu said, so when it came time to make the movie director Daniel Cretton, the writers and Marvel “worked together to bring Shang-Chi “into the modern world.”
“He was a caricature and in some ways, making him a valet mades him less badass, but he became more relatable,” Liu explained. “We’re paying respect to the culture.”
‘We Were Dreamers,’ family & Mississauga
Liu ‘s 2022 memoir, We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story, told the story of his family arriving in Canada from China and ending up in Mississauga.
“The most difficult part in writing the book was interviewing my parents about living in China and immigrating to a country they knew little about. I was really going in blind,” he said. “I felt like we were talking together like equals and I learned so much.”
“It’s self-evident, but Canada is the fu**ing best.”
Kim’s Convenience
Liu fielded numerous other questions from Dandridge during the panel discussion with the action hero asked about working with legendary Asian actors like Tony Leung (who played his father and the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization) and Michelle Yeoh, who played his aunt, in Shang-Chi.
“My favourite behind the scenes stuff was talking with Tony between takes,” he said of his work with the 62-year-old Hong Kong acting legend. “We talked about life, the movies and extreme sports. The man snowboards every day.”
As for Yeoh, who catapulted to Hollywood fame with roles in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Liu remembers being “really nervous” in his sparring sessions. “She’s so graceful and I’m like … not.”
His favourite Marvel movie before starring in Shang-Chi – “Ragnarok” – also came up in the talk, as well his appearance as a rival ‘Ken’ in the 2023 blockbuster ‘Barbie.”
“That public dance number was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”
The part of Canada he’s like to see (the Northwest Territories or Nunavut) and film genres he’d like to tackle one day were also fodder for conversation at the panel, which wasn’t open to a Q & A with the audience but did field a few submitted questions from fans.
“I’d love to do a rom-com and even though I don’t like scary movies I think it would be a lot of fun to make one.”
Liu also told the story of meeting Superman star Henry Cavill at a Las Vegas restaurant after the Super Bowl.
“I wasn’t sure of approaching him but he gave me a big hug, said of course he knew who I was and came up to our table and introduced himself to all my friends,” Liu remembered. “After, when I went to pay, I found out Henry had paid our bill.”
“I kinda wished,” he joked, “we had ordered more.”
Fan Expo HQ Vice-President Andrew Moyes said he was thrilled when Liu agreed to be a guest this year, giving the event a real-life hometown super hero.
“He’s done extraordinary well,” Moyes said. “It’s great to be bringing the biggest Canadian stars here and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about Canadian movie heroes.”
“We’re glad to have him and I think the fans are delighted to have him here.”
The latest project for Liu, who was inducted into the Mississauga Walk of Fame Sunday, is Jackpot (with John Cena and his Shang-Chi co-star Awkwafina), which hits theatres this week.
