Simu Liu’s career has taken some fairly extraordinary turns, from impersonating Spider-Man at children’s birthday parties to being the face of Marvel’s first Asian superhero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The star revealed the story behind one of the largest in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, recalling the moment Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige called him to tell him he was being offered the role of Shang-Chi. According to Liu, he was eating shrimp crackers in his underwear in his flat when he received the call that would change his life forever:
It was around 6:30 p.m. on July 16th, 2019, in the early evening. I’d just awoken from a nap and was eating shrimp crackers in my underwear. I was in my apartment with my dog napping when I received a call from an unknown number in Burbank, California. And just hearing Kevin Feige’s magnificent, booming voice on the other end inform me that my life was about to change for the better was fairly unforgettable.
We’re less than a week away from the theatrical release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and based on first impressions and the fact that the star is already eyeing more projects to work on with fellow MCU cast members, the idea that Liu’s life is “going to change forever” may be exaggerating. Shang-Chi is one of the universe’s fiercest warriors in Marvel comics, eventually gaining a position in the prized Avengers. Following the departure of some of the MCU’s biggest stars (such as Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, and Chris Evans’ Captain America), it seems only natural that newcomers like Liu’s Shang-Chi will begin to fill the void left by the former legends.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters exclusively starting on September 3 and marks the first cinematic entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “phase four.” The film is to be followed up by both Eternals on November 5 and Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 17.
