12 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Simu Liu

By Becca Longmire, Melissa Romualdi. 5 May 2023 8:43 AM

As we continue to celebrate Asian Heritage Month, ET Canada is taking a deep dive into some of the interesting things about our country’s very own Simu Liu that you may not have known.

From accountant to actor to becoming a Marvel superhero, Liu is living out his wildest dreams.

He Worked At Deloitte As An Accountant And Got Fired

Photo: Monica Schipper/WireImage

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Getty

Photo: iStock/Twitter via Simu Liu

Dale MacMillan/Getty Images

Photo: Twitter/SimuLiu

He Worked At Abercrombie & Fitch As A Shirtless Greeter

Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 presented by Prime Video

He Cried Hysterically In His Underwear When He Got The 'Shang-Chi' Casting Call

Photo: Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImageoto: Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImage

He Begged 'Shang-Chi''s Producers To Let Him Keep 'Rare' Jordans From The Movie

Photo: Jasin Boland /© Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / © Marvel Studios / Courtesy Everett Collection

Photo: George Pimentel/Shutterstock

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

He's 'A Massive Country Fan,' Loves Taylor Swift's Earlier Hits

Photo: Nicole Weingart/NBC via Getty Images

Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

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He Worked At Deloitte As An Accountant And Got Fired
Photo: Monica Schipper/WireImage
In April 2022, Liu celebrated his 10-year anniversary of being fired from a "career I hated." He thanked his former boss at Deloitte Toronto for firing him from his accounting job.

"I owe my life to being let go," he said on social media, adding that he's "never looked back" as he went on to pursue his Hollywood dreams.
He's A Big Snacker
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Getty
Liu told GQ back in 2021 that he used to take Asian snacks to school as a kid, but people would sometimes make fun of them because they didn't know what they were.

He's a big fan of Pockys, Japanese rice crackers, shredded squid, White Rabbit candy and his "personal favourite" shrimp crackers.

Fun fact: Liu revealed he was eating the latter when he got the call to play Shang-Chi.

He said, "I had just woken up from a nap... I was eating some shrimp crackers at my desk," saying he got a call from Kevin Feige on an unknown number, and the rest is history.
He Was A Stock Photo Model
Photo: iStock/Twitter via Simu Liu
Before acting, Liu dipped his toes into several different occupations while posing as a construction worker, office worker, and more as a stock model. In September 2021, Liu laughed off the hilarious pre-fame 2014 photos of himself, including one of him as a Zumba class attendee, that went viral on Twitter.
He Was Once A Member Of A Boyband
Dale MacMillan/Getty Images
Liu’s musical origins go all the way back to his younger years, when he joined the short-lived high school group LX4.

He previously revealed he was in the band at age 12, with them naming it LX4 because all their names started with the letter L.
He Was Pete Wentz's Stunt Double
Photo: Twitter/SimuLiu
The Marvel actor once landed a pretty epic gig as Pete Wentz's stunt double in Fall Out Boy's "Centuries" music video. Liu got to practice taking punches for Wentz before eventually going on to perform his own stunts in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”. The actor was so excited about the gig that he shared a photo of himself posing next to the bassist back in 2014, poking fun at their "resemblance."
He Worked At Abercrombie & Fitch As A Shirtless Greeter
Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 presented by Prime Video
It seems Liu had a lot of jobs throughout his career. When the actor was in college, he had his sights set on a retail job at Abercrombie & Fitch. After failing to get scouted as one of the popular retailer's shirtless greeters, he got "fed up" and decided to walk in with a resume one day.

"I point-blank asked if I could interview and ended up getting the chance to work for Abercrombie," Liu recalled. "It's a hilarious and slightly embarrassing life story."
He Cried Hysterically In His Underwear When He Got The 'Shang-Chi' Casting Call
Photo: Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImageoto: Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImage
While chatting with Liu in 2019, the actor told ET Canada that he got a call from Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige just two days after he screen-tested for the role of Shang-Chi. When Liu received the call, he was “at home in his underwear, eating shrimp crackers.”

“I can’t describe how I felt. I think I cried hysterically," he said, comparing the moment to Cinderella, like "a fairy godmother waved a magic wand."
He Begged 'Shang-Chi''s Producers To Let Him Keep 'Rare' Jordans From The Movie
Photo: Jasin Boland /© Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / © Marvel Studios / Courtesy Everett Collection
In "Shang-Chi", Liu's character Shaun wore a pair of "super super rare" Jordan 4 ‘Georgetown’ colorway sneakers as part of his wardrobe. The actor, a sneakerhead, "begged the production" to let him keep the shoes, but they said no.

"They were like, ‘No freaking way in hell,’” Liu previously told Complex. “They basically had security watching me putting the shoes on and wearing the shoes back to my trailer. They’re just like, ‘Don’t you dare take that.’”
He's A Talented Singer And Dancer
Photo: George Pimentel/Shutterstock
Liu is a multi-talented star! He recently showed off his singing skills with the release of his new single “Don’t”, which he worked on with 88rising. The piano-driven ballad is an anthem of hope and inspiration, "written for all of the hard times in my life," Liu explained.

Liu can also dance! While hosting the 2023 Juno Awards, he not only showed off his musical side, but his dance moves too while performing a medley of Avril Lavigne hits.
He's A Fan Of Basketball And Crochet
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
There really isn't anything Simu Liu can't do. While appearing on a Ask Me Anything (AMA) subreddit in 2021, the "Kim's Convenience" alum, revealed he still lurks on the r/nba and r/CrochetPatterns subreddits, explaining that he "pretty much checks r/nba on a daily basis to keep up with all things basketball." Liu added that he "occasionally takes [his] talents to r/CrochetPatterns to drop a little knowledge."
He's 'A Massive Country Fan,' Loves Taylor Swift's Earlier Hits
Photo: Nicole Weingart/NBC via Getty Images
Liu appears to spend a lot of his free time on reddit. The actor responded to another fan question in 2021, asking what his top Taylor Swift songs are after it became evident he's a fan of the "Cruel Summer" hitmaker when he responded "how dare you disrespect t-swizzle. #teamtaylor4lyfe" to a joke someone made about her on Twitter.

"I am a massive country music fan," Liu responded before sharing that he "loves" Swift's "early stuff, like 'Our Song'."
He Waxed His Entire Body For 'Barbie'
Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Liu, who stars as one of the many Kens featured in the upcoming anticipated "Barbie" movie, revealed that his role in the Greta Gerwig picture required full-body waxing, calling it "one of the most painful experiences of my life."

12 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Simu Liu

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