Mississauga action star Simu Liu an onstage hit at the Oscars

If not for the smack heard–and seen–around the world at the Oscars last night (March 27), Mississauga native and Hollywood action star Simu Liu might be getting a bit more attention for his charmingly “Canadian” onstage performance as one of the presenters.

Liu, star of Marvel’s 2021 mega-hit Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and American comedian Tiffany Haddish teamed up to present the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

Just prior to announcing the winner, the pair pulled off a funny little shtick centered around a few Canadian jokes–and they did so in low-key, tasteful fashion while showing some genuine onstage chemistry.

“We’re here to present the award for Best International Feature Film, which is particularly exciting for me since I come from an international country that, for many Americans, may seem exotic and different–Canada,” Liu, decked out in a smart red suit, crisp white shirt and black bowtie, quipped at the outset.

A smiling Haddish quickly asks: “Parlez-vous francais?”

To which Liu, 32, responds: “Oui. Voulez-vous coucher–avec moi?” (Do you want to sleep with me?).

Haddish then jokes she “didn’t even know that France was in Canada” and continues.

“I’ve got a thing for Canadians. I like that circle bacon they’ve got, the men with the jackets that ride on moose with the hats and stuff, that Molson’s beer, the accent.”

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Earlier in the evening, the Mississauga native and former star of CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience was one of four Hollywood “hunks” Oscars co-host Regina Hall called up on stage for some fun.

Playing up the notion she was “crushing” on the foursome, Hall told Liu, Bradley Cooper, Tyler Perry and Timothee Chalamet they each had to submit to an additional COVID-19 test backstage.

“It’s gonna be quick,” she told the men. “You’ll come backstage, take your mask off, if you have one, and your clothes.”

Later in the show, Will Smith, who went on to win Best Actor, bolted onstage and smacked comedian Chris Rock after the latter had made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Uncensored video clips of the exchange have gone viral the past 12 hours.

It’s been an eventful several months for Liu, who learned in December that a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was in the works.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe star also took home a couple of People’s Choice awards in December. He won for Best Action Movie Star of the Year and the Marvel film in which he starred took home Action Movie of the Year.