Simu Liu says Asians in Hollywood are “fighting a deeply prejudiced system.”

The actor became the first Asian to lead a superhero film with Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021), and while it grossed more than $432 million worldwide and broke records for a Labor Day release, Liu said Hollywood is already changing course.

The Chinese-born actor wrote on Threads on Sunday in response to several articles about Asian representation in Hollywood: “Put some Asians in literally anything right now. The amount of pushback on our representation on screen is f**king appalling. Studios think we’re ‘risky.'”

Liu countered that idea by citing several Asian-led hits, including “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), “Farewell” (2019), “Minari” (2020), “Past Lives” (2023) and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which won seven Academy Awards in 2023, including Best Picture.

Of that list, Liu noted Sunday that “each one of them is a financial success.”

He continued: “No Asian actor has ever lost even close to $100 million to a studio, but a white guy is going to lose $200 million TWICE and go on to be the next big guy. We’re fighting a deeply prejudiced system. And most days it sucks.”

Liu was responding to a post compiled by another user, who shared screenshots of several articles about on-screen representation that featured comments from other Asian male actors, including Manny Jacinto, John Cho, and Daniel Dae Kim.

“Hollywood, put more Asian men in romantic lead roles,” the user demanded.

Liu has spoken out against various cultural and political issues on social media over the years.
Liu has spoken out against various cultural and political issues on social media over the years.

Scott A. Garfitt/Invision/News

Liu himself has been similarly outspoken over the years, and not just when it comes to on-screen representation. The 36-year-old criticized Oscar-winning filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino in 2022 for their various criticisms of Marvel films.

Liu has also used social media to speak out against right-wing politics, telling Variety earlier this month that he “should probably be more afraid” of the backlash. He added at the time that “there’s something about the Internet” that seems to drive people “crazy.”

“There’s something about how public it is and how people love to be the guy who puts someone else down. [or] “Take down a whole group of people,” Liu continued. “I’m not in favor of that energy.”