Even after achieving Marvel-level fame, Simu Liu says he became disillusioned with Hollywood and his career.
The Canadian actor claims the industry is once again viewing Asian-led projects as a gamble, despite years of box office success proving otherwise.
“I feel like because of who I am and because of our faces, we're seen as inherently more risqué, even though we're not,” Liu said while promoting his new show. Copenhagen test.
Liu, who was born in China and raised in Toronto, listed a list of recent projects focused on Asia: Crazy Rich Asians, until it hurts, Parting, Past Lives, Everything everywhere and at once – all critical or commercial successes, many of which are extremely profitable.
“We’re not dangerous at all,” Liu said.
He added 2021 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsthe Marvel movie he starred in is on this list. It grossed $432 million worldwide, becoming one of the biggest hits of the pandemic.
Over the years, he has also delved into voice acting, playing roles in Gremlins: The Wild Batch And Invincible; music, releasing an EP in 2023; reality show as a guest judge on Dragons' Den; and host first of the 2022 and 2023 Juno Awards and then of the 2024 People's Choice Awards.
Meanwhile, he is also the chief content officer at soup dumpling company MìLà and a global ambassador for fintech startup Unlimit.
But for now he's busy with supporting roles, including a memorable role as a Ken doll in 2023. Barbie – he says top billing remains elusive.
When studios cut costs, they go back to what feels familiar, Liu said. In recent years, some studios delay in movie selection until they become popular with audiences at film festivals, indicating their risk aversion.
“When any industry goes through these moments of recession, decision makers default to what they know and what they think is less risky,” he said.
“Most of the key decision makers in Hollywood are still white. This is the reality.”
Parallel with his character
This sense of bias is built directly into Copenhagen testdystopian spy thriller with Liu returning to star.
He plays Alexander Hale, a Chinese-American government intelligence analyst whose brain has been hacked. Working with Michelle, Melissa Barrera's agent, he tries to clear his name while finding out who hacked his mind.
Created by Thomas Brandon and executive produced by James Wan and Liu, the Toronto-shot series airs Thursday on StackTV and premieres on Showcase on Jan. 6.
Liu said he was drawn not only to the premise, but also to how directly the series addressed immigrant identity without reducing the character to it.
“The icing on the cake was that the role was for someone who was not white, and that his experience as a first-generation immigrant actually affected how he was treated.”
In the pilot, Hale overlooks the opportunity and says that coming from an immigrant family adds “additional risk.” Liu said the moment reflects the reality many immigrants face.
“We are always underestimated,” he said. “There’s a lot of this going on in the world right now.”
That suspicion, Liu argues, is now creeping back into Hollywood—even after recent strides in BIPOC representation.
“I feel the same way Alexander Hale did in the pilot,” he said.
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While Asian representation on screen grew from 2007 to 2024, those gains were erased between 2023 and 2024, according to annual data from the University of Southern California's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. The share of speaking roles for Asian characters fell from 18.4 percent in 2023 to 13.5 percent in 2024, while the share of white characters rose from 55.7 percent to 63.6 percent over the same period.
The numbers were starker when it came to lead or co-lead roles: In 202132 percent of stars in the year's top 100 films were Asian, while that number dropped to about 15 percent. for 2024.
Liu attributes this to “cognitive dissonance” among those in command. It points to a sequel to the 2018 film. Crazy Rich Asians has yet to be made, despite the film grossing over $238 million worldwide on a $30 million budget.
“Warner Bros.” I still haven’t given the go-ahead for a sequel, although there is already a sequel to the book, so the material already exists. The storyline is essentially gift wrapping for you,” he said.
The same blind spot, he adds, was evident with this year's breakout hit. K-Pop Demon Hunterswhich Sony Pictures produced and sold distribution rights to Netflix, where it became the streamer's most-watched film ever.
“[Sony] I didn’t even believe it could be a hit,” Liu said. “These decision makers are out of touch with what the people want. As long as they continue to make these decisions under the illusion of risk aversion, we will continue to see films fail.”
Canadian Maggie Kahn's animated film KPop Demon Hunters has become a global sensation thanks to record-breaking views on Netflix and its big screen debut on a $20 million budget.
For Liu, this disconnect makes roles like Copenhagen test I feel increasingly rare.
“I don’t take this for granted for a moment,” he said.
Next December, he will return to the blockbuster spotlight in Marvel's Avengers: Judgment Dayreprising his role as Shang-Chi. Before that, he will make his Broadway debut in Cole Escola's hit comedy. Oh Mary! in February. He describes the move as a way to “creatively heal” amid frustrations with the industry.
“I definitely started to lose the plot because of my own frustration and the way I felt about the industry and my career.”
When that happens, Liu says, “the right response is always to just go back to doing what you love.”
“And what I love more than anything in the world – more than dealing with the politics of Hollywood or its agents, the stage and the networks – is acting. I love performing. I love communicating with the audience. And there’s no better way to do it than on stage.”
