Simu Liu is a Chinese Canadian actor, writer, filmmaker, and stuntman. Liu is set to become the first Asian actor to lead a Marvel Studios film, as the star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Liu previously appeared in the tv series Kim's Convenience, Taken, and Orphan Black. The role of Shang-Chi holds special meaning for Liu, who shared that when he was a struggling actor playing superheroes at childrens' birthday parties, he could only play masked characters to hide his race.