Simu Liu has been riding a massive wave of momentum all thanks to the success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. However, despite all the positive buzz the Marvel Cinematic Universe film has been generating over the last couple of weeks, the Canadian star is in the midst of controversy after an interview of him from several years back where he allegedly insulted China resurfaced online.
In 2017, Liu did an interview for CBC's "What's Your Story?" which coincided with the 150th anniversary of Canada. In the said featurette, the actor recalled his humble beginnings in China before his family immigrated from Harbin in Heilongjiang Province to Canada when he was younger.
Simu also described growing up in communist China where according to him, people were dying of starvation. Kim's Convenience star also cites wanting a "free life" and how China was part of the "third world" as some of the reasons why his family decided to flee the country and to start fresh in Canada.
Several news sites would then report that Simu is drawing flak in his homeland for his "degrading" statements. It even led to speculation that Shang-Chi will not be screened in China and Liu is pretty much a marked man in the country. Now, the MCU newbie is finally breaking his silence after being dragged into a massive controversy.
Taking to his Instagram stories, Liu pretty much ended the issue and dismissed reports from "western" media about him being hated by the Chinese people. He also said that "media narratives are polarizing us and turning us against each other." He later revealed that Shang-Chi is getting a lot of love from China, seemingly ending all rumors about it being banned in the country.
Also Read: The Internet is Canceling Shang-Chi Star Awkwafina For Mocking Black Culture
I certainly hope this puts an end to the issue because frankly, we should be celebrating Simu's triumph and how Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has championed Asian representation in Hollywood instead of spreading hatred and negativity.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now screening in cinemas in North America.
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