Marvel Comic Universe star Simu Liu says he feels a “nervousness” when projects with Asian casts are announced in case they are not done properly.
The actor said there were “so many things that could have gone wrong” with his film Shang-Chi and The Legend Of The Ten Rings, and that it was “quite natural to be cynical”.
He made the comments during an interview with award-winning West Side Story star Ariana DeBose as part of Variety’s Actor On Actor series.
“When I learned that (Destin Daniel Cretton) was going to direct Shang-Chi, the feeling that I had was relief,” he said.
“I don’t know if you experience this – I think in my community, we call it ‘rep sweats.’
“Whenever a project is announced with an Asian cast, the feeling that you get at first is not necessarily elation or joy.
“It’s nervousness.
“Are they going to get this right, or is it going to be the other thing? We’ve seen a lot of the other thing, so it’s quite natural to be cynical.
“If you had just looked at those comic books that were written in the 1970s by white people, and you were to say, ‘adapt that into a movie’.
.@SimuLiu and @ArianaDeBose sit down to chat about the cultural authenticity of their breakout films, hosting #SNL, and working with their idols in #ShangChi and #WestSideStory.
Watch Variety’s latest #ActorsOnActors conversation: https://t.co/6PxzusadF7 pic.twitter.com/wzDqiYMfAQ
— Variety (@Variety) February 4, 2022
“I think there’s just so many ways that it could have gone wrong.”
DeBose, who has already won a Golden Globe for her performance in West Side Story, replied: “I understand. Some would say I over-stand.”
Liu stars in Shang Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings alongside Awkwafina, and screen veterans Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung.