KUNG FEUD

Simu Liu still remembers very clearly the day he discovered he was going to play Marvel’s first Asian lead superhero. He was lounging around at home in his underwear eating shrimp crackers when the studio’s president Kevin Feige called with the news he had been cast in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. When the actor hung up, he did what most people would probably do if they had just discovered they’re going to make history. “I reacted by crying hysterically into my pillow,” he tells Total Film over Zoom, breaking into a playful laugh.

Just a few days later, Liu found himself at 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con with director Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, Just Mercy) announcing that he would be playing the Chinese-born Master of Kung Fu, known as the Marvel Universe’s greatest hand-to-hand fighter. Featuring a predominantly Asian and Asian-American cast and crew, the film would be a monumental leap forward in Hollywood representation. Make no mistake, this was going to be a game-changer.

“It’s a beautiful and exciting new origin story for this character that a lot of the world hasn’t heard of before,” says 32-year-old Liu, who has the jubilant air of someone who still can’t believe his luck. Dressed in a plain white t-shirt, which shows off his hard-earned superhero physique, he’s enjoying some much-needed