After a long wait and several promotional campaigns, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has finally premiered in theaters. But, before fans were able to flock to the cinemas and catch the first Asian-led superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, lead actor Simu Liu arrived in Toronto for the film’s Canadian premiere and had a surprise waiting for him.
On his Twitter account, Liu shared a photograph of a giant poster for Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that read, “Welcome home Simu!” placed outside the CF Toronto Eaton Centre. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, the mall is one of the busiest in not just the province, but in the entire country, and so the sign must have been seen by hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
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The sign was meant to welcome Liu back to his hometown of Toronto. In the image shared on Twitter, Liu looks quite shocked at seeing his own face plastered across the giant billboard, with a suitable caption of, “Holy bajeezus.” In several interviews he has referred to his “condo in Toronto” and it seems like he wasn’t prepared for the view upon his return. He has previously spoken about how being selected to play Shang-Chi has been a life-changing experience for him, too.
The Canadian actor, who was so far best known for his role as Jung Kim in CBC Television’s sitcom Kim's Convenience, immigrated to the country when he was just five years old. He has always been very open about his Asian heritage and his family’s struggles when migrating back in the '90s. In recent interviews and even a featurette released by Marvel, Liu has spoken about how working on the film was an entirely unique experience, especially sinceShang-Chi has a mostly Asian cast and crew.
Liu has also spoken about working as an accountant in the past, before venturing into a career of acting. Prior to landing recognizable acting roles, Liu worked as a substitute stuntman and is trained in certain forms of martial arts. That was helpful in his new Marvel role, as Shang-Chi is said to have the best action in the MCU so far. The trailers offer glimpses of some of the action-packed sequences in the film, putting Liu’s Shang-Chi in the center of it all.
Early reviews of the film confirmed that Shang-Chi lives up to its hype and does contain some of the best action scenes the MCU has witnessed thus far. Now, Marvel fans will finally be able to watch all the action on the big screen and judge for themselves.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now playing in theaters.
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Source: Simu Liu/Twitter