REDEFINING REPRESENTATION

Behind the Marvel superhero Shang-Chi and the Hollywood star that is Simu Liu is a man driven by a deep sense of purpose: to uplift Asian voices both on and off the screen. Here, he talks about his journey from immigrant roots to fame and his commitment to authentic representation

- By Nafeesa Saini. Photography by Melvin Wong

Simu Liu is in the spotlight once again. The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star recently sparked two viral debates for comments he made as a guest Dragon (as venture capitalists are called on the show) on Dragons' Den, a Canadian reality TV show that sees aspiring entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of multimillionaire investors.

In two headline-making moments, Liu sparked conversations far and wide for his outspoken defence of cultural authenticity and socio-economic realities, revealing a compassionate and principled side to him not often captured by the glare of Hollywood. In one episode, he called out a bubble tea brand's cultural appropriation, urging its founders to honour the drink's Taiwanese origins. In another, he spoke up staunchly for an entrepreneur balancing a full-time job with his start-up, challenging the notion that financial stability and passion must be mutually exclusive.

Meeting Liu in person in September last year, during the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix weekend, reveals even more of this depth. Sans entourage and lingering fans, he greets us in his suite, barefoot and in a bathrobe. While he is known for his humour and charisma, he has a quiet demeanour off camera that immediately puts us at ease, and his humility shines through as he apologises for requesting repeat takes of his portraits and rummages through his luggage to personally show our art director his outfits. When the cameras start rolling, he effortlessly transitions into the star we are all familiar with, his signature charisma coming off him in waves as he delivers introspective and eloquent responses.