The actor turned the primary Asian to steer a superhero movie with Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021), and whereas it grossed greater than $432 million worldwide and broke data for a Labor Day launch, Liu mentioned Hollywood is already altering course.
The China-born actor wrote Sunday on Threads in response to numerous articles about Asian illustration in Hollywood, “Put some asians in literally anything right now. The amount of backslide in our representation onscreen is f**king appalling. Studios think we are ‘risky.’”
Liu countered that notion by citing a number of Asian-led hits, together with “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), “Farewell” (2019), “Minari” (2020), “Past Lives” (2023) and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which received seven Academy Awards in 2023, together with Greatest Image.
Liu famous Sunday about that roster, “every single one a financial success.”
He continued, “No asian actor has ever lost a studio even close to 100 million dollars but a white dude will lose 200 million TWICE and roll right into the next tentpole lead. We’re fighting a deeply prejudiced system. And most days it SUCKS.”
Liu was responding to a publish compiled by one other person, who shared screenshots of assorted articles about on-screen illustration that featured feedback from different Asian male actors — together with Manny Jacinto, John Cho and Daniel Dae Kim.
“Hollywood, put more Asian men in romantic lead roles,” the person demanded.
Scott A Garfitt/Invision/Related Press
Liu himself has been equally outspoken through the years, and never simply in regard to on-screen illustration. The 36-year-old slammed Oscar-winning filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino in 2022 for his or her numerous criticisms of Marvel films.
Liu has additionally used social media to talk out towards right-wing politics, and advised Selection earlier this month that he “probably should be more scared” of the backlash. He added on the time that “there’s something about the internet” that simply appears to drive individuals “crazy.”
“There’s something about the publicness of it and where people love being the guy to put someone else down [or] put an entire group of people down,” Liu continued. “I am so not for that energy.”
