Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings star, Simu Liu, revealed he once got paid $120 for a stock photo modeling gig. Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, directed by Destin Cretton, is set to follow Shang-Chi (Liu), as he confronts his past after becoming embroiled with a shady organization known as the Ten Rings. The film will notably feature the famed Marvel villain and leader of the Ten Rings, The Mandarin (Tony Leung), for the first time in a Marvel feature film since his fake (and controversial) reveal in 2013’s Iron Man 3.

Simu Liu, born in China but raised in Canada, got his start in acting working as an extra on Pacific Rim before branching into television. After appearing in popular shows such as Kim’s Convenience, Orphan Black, and The Expanse, Liu petitioned Marvel in 2018 for a role in the upcoming Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. With a background in Taekwondo, gymnastics, and Wing Chun, Liu earned the titular role in the film, officially marking Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings as Marvel’s first Asian-led film.

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While preparing for the Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings premiere in Los Angeles, Liu offered to answer questions posed by his Twitter followers. One such follower brought up Liu’s work as a stock photography model, asking what will happen to the photos he’s featured in. “Got paid $120 and signed away all my rights to them because I was in credit card debt. Now they are everywhere,” Liu tweeted in reply. Many of these photos can still be found today in advertisements, textbook covers, pamphlets, and even on billboards, but it doesn’t sound like Liu has any power to have them taken down.

Simu Liu in Kim's Convenience

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the contract Liu would have signed before participating in the stock photograph session, he now has no say over how these images are used. Photos from his time as a freelance model appear on accounting textbooks, YMCA advertisements, and even on one British Columbia town's magazine. Fortunately, Liu always takes a good-natured approach to these photos when fans point them out on social media, sometimes even poking fun at himself. In some of the photos, Liu can be seen giving a presentation in a boardroom, posing for a team photo in a hardhat, and exercising in a fitness class. In a reply to Liu’s Tweet, another fan even posts one such stock photo featuring Liu that he found in his company office.

Liu’s appearance in stock photos just goes to show that even the biggest stars have to start somewhere. Liu is far from the first celebrity to have potentially embarrassing photos surface online and, if anything, Liu’s story goes to show how precarious and fickle the life of an actor can be at times. Liu went from being in credit card debt and taking jobs as a stock model to being the lead in Marvel’s first Asian-led film, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is set to premiere exclusively in theaters this Fall. 

More: How Shang-Chi Could Have A Big Impact On The MCU Multiverse 

Source: Simu Liu

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