Marvel star Simu Liu admitted that before he was celebrated as Shang-Chi, he was once considered the “black sheep” of his family.
Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Liu recalled how losing his accounting job and pursuing acting brought him shame in the eyes of his relatives.
The shame was so much so that he was banned from family trips for years.
“The level of shame in Asian standards would be like if I was addicted to meth and on the street,” Liu joked.
“I did become kind of like a black sheep in the family. And I was disinvited from these family trips for a really long time.”
Despite the estrangement, Liu recently returned to China for the first time in 15 years.
He visited his homeland and reconnected with his grandmother.
He also experienced an outpouring of unexpected fan support.
Although Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings never released in China, Liu said dozens of fans showed up at his hotel after he posted a photo online.
“It was really overwhelming and also kind of sweet,” the Barbie actor said. “And my parents were absolutely no help at all.”
Kim’s Convenience alum is now starring in and executive-producing the spy drama The Copenhagen Test which is currently streaming on Peacock.
He is also reprising his Marvel role in Avengers: Doomsday.
