Like many Asian actors, Liu played a nameless pawn who knew martial arts, but inevitably lost to a more skilled white man, according to the Associated Press. It was one of his first stunt performances.
The Chinese-Canadian actor said, "Yes, I went home with my salary. I'm not complaining, but after that, you'll look at it from a bigger perspective and you'll see the opportunities that Asian actors have. You will find that, yes, after a certain point, there is no deeper expression. ”
Now, it's time for Simu Liu to take down the bad guys and be number one on the list. He will play the character of the same name in Marvel Pictures' first Asian-American superhero film, Shangqi and the Legend of the Ten Commandments.
The male protagonist of "Shangqi"
The highly anticipated film, which will be released recently, has all the elements of a Marvel movie — huge fight scenes, dazzling stunts and grand scenes. While Shangqi can kick any opponent from a high altitude, does the "kung fu master" have enough power to allow Hollywood to finally bury the boring story form, as well as projects to support Asian-American actors and filmmakers?
Directed and written by An Asian-American, the film focuses on the story of a trained assassin, Shangqi, who lives the life of an ordinary person in San Francisco. Chinese actress Okafina and comedian Ronny Chieng will also star. Liu Simu, famous for his sitcom "Kim's Convenience Store," won the role with his acting skills rather than karate.
Director Destin Daniel Clayton said, "It's his comedy. It is also his ability to deduce strength and vulnerability at the same time. It was the humanity he showed in it that shattered people's stereotypes of superheroes. ”
For decades, kung fu movies have been a double-edged sword for Asian-Americans. Born in San Francisco, Bruce Lee is credited with bringing Hong Kong kung fu movies to non-Asian audiences for his jaw-dropping martial arts. But for many Asian-American men, they are often dubbed Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, or asked if they will be karate, which remains an unfortunate rite of passage they face.
Clayton said: "When I moved from Hawaii to California, it was the first time someone casually called me Bruce Lee in a bar. I love Bruce Lee, he's really fantastic. The only problem is that we only have these real kung fu actors. ”
In fact, a national survey commissioned by other agencies by the nonprofit Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change this spring found that 42 percent of the 2,766 adults surveyed could not name a prominent Asian American. And who are the two most popular Asian-Americans? They are Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan
Renowned Asian-American blogger Phil Yu commented on Asian-American pop culture on his long-running blog, Angry Asian Man, and he co-hosted a podcast called "They Call Us Bruce." He said Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan themselves were never the problem. This is the way Hollywood runs formulas.
Yu said, "It does feel like the influence of martial arts in the West, but the concept is distorted through Western lenses and is specifically used to categorize us, to make us feel small and laugh at us." In Shangqi, when you have a movie that is almost all Asian actors... Or if almost everyone is Asian, you can provide a different narrative purpose for everyone. ”
Another enduring old-fashioned plot in American blockbusters is that a mysterious Asian master teaches a white protagonist martial arts. Later, the white student became the savior of the United States. In 2017, Marvel made white people the protagonists in the Netflix TV series "Iron Fist", a story that was strongly opposed by a large number of netizens.
The Shangqi team is convinced that their attempt at the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an interpretation of the Asian-American experience of living abroad. The thrilling film is ultimately a family drama about a young Asian immigrant who rejects his father's wishes and runs to live in the United States. One of the screenwriters, Dave Callahan, found himself moved by the script.
Callahan said, "I've been writing professionally for 19 years. This was the first time I was asked to write a script from my own perspective. Other movies I've written have generally been like this, step one: Imagine you're a handsome guy named Chris – usually he's a white man. ”
Shangqi is the latest martial arts film starring Asian actors. In addition, the Film Snake's Eye, released in July, starred Henry Golding of The Golden Harvest and started in July. The film stars Asian actor Andrew Koch, the male protagonist of HBO's "Warrior.". The American drama "Warrior" has been renewed for a third season, and its inspiration is from the script written by Bruce Lee.
In addition, CW Network will soon release a new drama "Kung Fu", which is a remake of a 1970s TV series in which white David Caraddin plays a Shaolin monk.
Olivia Liang, the star of the new version of KungFu, said she felt like Asians were recovering something. Liang said at the premiere of "Shangqi" last month, "We have plump characters, they can also kick (butt), and they can also do martial arts... This is the biggest difference I feel right now, with TV entertainment shaping our worldview. Because we (Asians) have been underrepresented for a long time, those who don't see many Asians in their communities forget that we are also part of their world. ”
Yu, blogger of Angry Asians, is excited to see the progressive adaptations in these blockbusters, and he's ready to see Asian talent come out of the stage. Yu said, "There's nothing inherently wrong with us still seeing Asians as martial arts heroes. But the box should be wider, so let's look at some of the stories that Asians have dominated over the past few years. ”
Long Jody, an Asian-American actress who plays Mrs Chen in the film, said, "We were always seen as the other side, I just thought we were sometimes not considered. I think this movie promises to change that because it's our first Marvel Asian superhero. However, there are many heroes in our Asian community. ”
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