'I'm a f***ing actor': Simu Liu claps back at Huffington Post article for labeling him 'token Asian' in Hollywood
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hollywood has always been a battleground for different ethnicities and communities trying to break in and make their mark. The right roles never fall into the laps of actors belonging to a certain community or race until the film or series is specifically about a character that belongs to that specific region or community. For long, Native Indians, Asians, and Latinos have fought for representation in the motion picture business, with demands ranging from diverse roles to better pay. However, despite all their efforts, things have begun to leap in a more inclusive direction, but the battle is far from over.
'Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' breakout star, Simu Liu, has a remarkable rags-to-riches story. Liu worked as a lowly accountant in Canada until he was fired. Liu then gathered up the courage to follow his dreams and came to Hollywood. He even manifested his role in ‘Shang Chi’ and now the Canadian actor of Asian ethnicity will appear in one of the biggest productions of 2023, ‘Barbie,’ alongside Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. However, his ascent to stardom has soured some minds who are on a mission to crucify him, but Liu has seen it all and has answered them with a befitting reply. An article in the Huffington Post lately blamed Liu for having created a monopoly over all the Asian male roles in Hollywood, which didn’t sit well with the ‘Shang-Chi’ star.
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What did the Huffington Post article say?
The article titled, ‘We Love Simu Liu, But He’s Not The Only Talented Asian Thirst Trap In Hollywood' is written by guest writer Ian Kumamoto and comes across as a subtle take-down piece of one of Hollywood’s most promising Asian talent. In the article, Ian blames Liu to have taken all the Asian roles for himself. Ian wrote, “Don’t get us wrong — we love Liu, and we’re all for an Asian king thriving,” Kumamoto wrote. “But when a single actor appears to be getting the bulk of Asian male roles in Hollywood, it starts to feel a little less like representation and a lot more like tokenism.”
He went on to add, “All we’re saying is, we don’t want a predominantly white Hollywood to gatekeep sexy Asian male representation like it has for decades when there are so many other attractive and talented Asian men who deserve to be seen and appreciated by the general public.” Ian then gave a list of other Asian actors who he believed had been overlooked or could be offered more roles in the industry. The list included the names of Ludi Lin, who played Liu Kang in the 2021 reboot of 'Mortal Kombat,' and Steven Yeun of ‘Beef’ and ‘The Walking Dead’ fame among others.
How did Simu Liu respond?
When Liu learned of the article’s presence online, labeling him as a “thirst trap” and “token Asian,” he took to Facebook to give HuffPost a piece of his mind. He lashed out by stating, “I'm not a 'thirst trap' I'm a fucking actor.” Liu was furious and questioned the intentions of the writer. He stated that this is all a ploy to pit the Asian community against each other and break their harmony.
“Way to attempt to put us against one another. What 'bulk' of roles are you referring to? Are there movies I'm in that I'm not aware of? Do you think that there is a quota of 'Asian male roles' that is a zero-sum game? Everything I have taken post Shang-Chi was not written Asian," Liu wrote, referring to the 2021 Marvel blockbuster that was the first film in the franchise to feature an Asian lead, an Asian director, and a predominantly Asian cast. "We've been able to reshape stories to get more representation onscreen. Get your facts straight.” For Liu, this was the "trashest" take on a topic by a progressive news website.
Liu has appeared in films like ‘Women Is Losers,’ the romance film ‘One True Loves,’ and the Canadian sci-fi thriller ‘Simulant,’ and will soon appear in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie.’