Not only did Suicide Squad‘s production cause havoc in Liu’s life, but it also seems DC and Warner Bros. missed the chance to cast an up-and-coming star with legit martial arts background in the film along the way. Thankfully, Marvel saw the potential in Liu a couple of years later, and cast him as Shang-Chi, the hero otherwise known as the “Master of Kung Fu.”
Pending superstar status aside, Liu is still very much an actor on the rise, though viewers may have seen him on the small screen before. The actor and stunt-man made his screen debut in 2012 with a one-off appearance on the CW’s action-thriller series Nikita. Liu followed that appearance with a few more one-offs, including a spot on Sci-Fi Network’s Warehouse 13 in 2015 and on an episode of BBC America’s critical darling Orphan Black in 2017. That same year, Liu found a steady gig as former CIA analyst Faaron on NBC’s short-lived series Taken, based on the 2008 Liam Neeson-starring film of the same name. Most recently, Liu made a memorable appearance on ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, showing off his comic timing as a Taiwanese noodle vendor.
Canadian viewers are already well aquatinted with Liu’s comedic chops, as he’s spent the past few years as one of the stars of Canadian Broadcasting Company’s brilliant immigrant comedy Kim’s Convenience. Even as we anxiously await Liu’s MCU debut, he’ll next be seen on small screens opposite his Shang-Chi co-star Awkwafina when he cameos on her Comedy Central series Awkwafina is Nora from Queens.
Written by: Looper