Simu Liu Reflects On Viral Shang-Chi Casting Tweet From 2018

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu has reflected on his viral tweets from 2018 asking to play the eponymous hero. Liu stars as the titular master of the martial arts in the MCU's first Asian-led superhero film, which sees the character drawn back into the secret world of the clandestine Ten Rings organization, led by his father Wenwu (Tony Leung). Alongside Leung, Liu is joined by Awkwafina as his best friend Katy, Meng'er Zhang as his estranged sister Xialing, and Michelle Yeoh as Ying Nan -his aunt and guardian of Ta-Lo.

After landing the lead role in Shang-Chi in 2019, it was revealed that Liu had actually tweeted about playing the role a year prior, writing: "Ok @Marvel, are we gonna talk or what #ShangChi." He revisited the tweet after being announced in the role by simply writing "well sh*t." Since then, Liu has been incredibly vocal in sharing his excitement about playing the character, as well as having the opportunity to represent the Asian community in the MCU. Last month, he even went so far as to call out Disney CEO Bob Chapek over the executive's awkward comments in which he described Shang-Chi as "an experiment". The actor refuted the claim by writing "We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers."

Speaking to USA Today, Liu discussed the now viral tweet from 2018, which interviewer Brian Truitt described as "one of the biggest shoot-your-shot moments." Chiefly, Liu was asked if he had auditioned for the role prior posting the tweet, to which the actor claimed that he hadn't, but had read an article about the film being greenlit. He added that, at the time, he thought "nobody was gonna listen to me" and simply tweeted it because he had always dreamed of playing a superhero. You can read the actor's full statement below:

"No, I had literally read an article that the movie had been fast-tracked and I had like 500 followers at that point. Nobody was gonna listen to me. I just tweeted it out into the ether because I loved superhero movies and I always kind of dreamt of myself as a superhero in my wildest dreams. People will tweet anything right? So it's great that I'm getting all the credit now, retroactively, for getting it right but I'm sure there are thousands of tweets, if you go back far enough, of me not getting it right or predicting the future totally incorrectly."

Meng'er Zhang, Simu Liu, and Awkwafina in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

This is not the first time that Liu has poked fun at himself over the tweet, having previously joked that he hoped his casting in Shang-Chi was a result of his acting credentials and not the tweet alone. It's good to see the actor make light of his previous comments and acknowledge the slim chance that would allow him to land his dream role. It's hard to deny that the tweet was certainly fortuitous however. The reviews for Shang-Chi have been highly positive thus far, with many praising Liu for being a perfect fit the role, in part compounded by his passion for the character and the property.

Liu, in many ways, seems almost destined to play the role of Shang-Chi, or at least another superhero. He has previously noted that, when he was younger he initially wanted to play the X-Men character Sunfire, and also that he used to perform as Spider-Man at children's birthday parties. While it's interesting to wonder what it would be like if he had landed either of these roles before becoming Shang-Chi, it's hard not to be happy for Liu for landing his dream role. His inherent charm and positivity, both for the film and for the MCU, seems to be a winning combination, so hopefully he will have the opportunity to return in the future. Fans will be able to judge what they think of Liu's turn in Shang-Chi for themselves when the film hits theaters on September 3rd.

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Source: USA Today