Simu Liu became a household name faster than you could say ‘one, two, three’ after he starred in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Since then, Simu Liu has cumulated a huge fan following and he will next be seen playing the plastic hottie, Ken, in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
Since Liu is on the rise, he is a hot topic of discussion for many, including media outlets. However, the publicity might not always be positive and some things just might not sit right with the actor. We all know by now that Simu Liu isn’t one to sit down and zip their lips when he feels the need to call something out. For example, the actor recently called out a media outlet for calling him a thirst trap and apparently pitting Asian actors against each other.
What Was the Article That Had Simu Liu Fuming?
Also Read: Simu Liu Hints Much Awaited Captain Marvel Team Up in Shang-Chi 2
On April 11, HuffPost came out with a hot piece on actors that would’ve been better for Barbie instead of Simu Liu. The article was titled, “We Love Simu Liu, But He’s Not The Only Talented Asian Thirst Trap In Hollywood.” The piece mentioned seven Asian actors who could’ve been chosen for the role of Ken. The article caused HuffPost to get on Liu’s bad side. Why? Take a look at an excerpt from the piece.
“It seemed like everyone we love, from Issa Rae to Dua Lipa, was going to make an appearance. But Asian Twitter collectively scratched its head when Simu Liu was named as one of many actors playing a version of Ken in the film.”
This implied that people weren’t happy with Liu being cast as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s highly-anticipated film. The article went on to say that while they were “All for an Asian king thriving” it wasn’t really representation. According to the article, “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.”
The article lists actors who would’ve been perfect for the role instead of Liu. This list included Manny Jacinto, Jackson Wang, Justin H. Min, and Steven Yeun. Do you agree with the casting or do you think the perfect match was overlooked?
Simu Liu Puts the Post on a Blast
While celebrities usually prefer turning the other cheek, Liu just couldn’t keep his anger and disappointment bottled up. He took the liberty of leaving a comment under HuffPost’s FaceBook post where he called them out for pitting actors against each other. He then went on to sarcastically ask if he was in movies that he wasn’t aware of referring to the article saying he was getting the bulk of Asian roles.
“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 really 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. We’ve been able to reshape stories to get more representation onscreen. Get your facts straight.”
Simu Liu shared the post on his own FaceBook page calling it the “trashest take.” He also wrote, “I’m not a ‘thirst trap,’ I am a f**king actor.” Neither did HuffPost address Liu’s disappointment, nor did they delete the controversial article.
Source: FaceBook | HuffPost
