Gymnastics, karate and breakdancing all in one style. He was super impressed, and I found out later that he’s also into tricking, which is a form of acrobatics, basically. I was actually able to show him some of my martial arts and tricking videos that were on YouTube. Did the two of you get to chat about martial arts and the stunts he was doing in the rest of the film? Overall, it was just such a great learning experience for me to see her and Simu in the flesh! Dallas Liu (Photo: Jonny Marlow)Īnd as someone with a background in martial arts, working with Simu must have been pretty thrilling as well. On set, she always came ready and was paying attention to details. I mean, as everyone knows, Awkwafina is extremely talented and hard working. So, I was wondering what it was like to get to work with Awkwafina. It’s funny, as a fan of PEN15, I associate you so much more with comedy. Being in Shang-Chi is amazing, but I think my next goal is to be that guy: be the next Shang-Chi, you know? I have a background in martial arts, so being able to display the years of training that I had in karate and being able to do that onscreen is definitely something that I’ve wanted. In terms of your own career, was being in a superhero movie a priority for you? ![]() And I’m not sure how much of an impact he had on the story over all, but it’s nice to know there is an Asian superhero in the Marvel comics! So, to have never even hear of him was surprising to me. I mean, it’s kind of weird, because he is a pretty prominent superhero in the comics. I had never heard of it until I found out that I was working on this movie. Times are changing as we all move forward together as a society. But after having seen Shang-Chi, it still impacted my enjoyment of the movie in an extremely positive way. I was just happy to get the experience of watching a superhero movie in theaters. I didn’t pay attention to the looks of the superheroes because I was a kid. When I watched the Marvel movies as a kid, it’s not something that I was aware of at all. How aware were you of the absence of Asian or Asian-American heroes in the Marvel universe-either the films or the comics-growing up? Did that impact your enjoyment of these stories at all? I’m also a fan of speedsters, so getting to see him onscreen was awesome. ![]() Yeah, I thought his character in that movie was incredible. I wouldn’t say I could relate to the characters, but a character that I really like was Quicksilver from Age of Ultron. Were there characters that resonated with you particularly? And to be a part of it-it’s like a dream. I even had a Marvel marathon with some of my friends where we watched all the movies in chronological order. I was a superfan, just like everyone else watching these movies, absolutely. What kind of relationship did you have to Marvel? Were you a fan of these characters growing up? A skilled martial artist in his own right, Liu already has his next major role lined up: as Prince Zuko in Netfix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.Īhead of Shang-Chi’s opening weekend, Liu spoke to GRAZIA about the film’s significance for young Asian fans, growing up on Marvel movies and how martial arts lead him to acting. Despite his experience playing opposite hilarious women like Erskine and Awkwafina, Liu (no relation to the film’s star Simu) hope Shang-Chi will be a launch pad for more action fare. Fans of Hulu’s PEN15 will recognize the 20-year-old as Maya Erskine’s stoner older brother Shuji, but in Shang-Chi he plays Ruihua, the younger brother of the hero’s slacker bestie Katy (Awkwafina). “It felt kinda… warming,” says Dallas Liu of seeing the film for the first time. ![]() And it sure doesn’t hurt that critics are praising the film as well. It’s a major moment for Marvel’s Asian-American fans, who have been craving representation in comic book movies for decades. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the franchise’s first film to focus on a majority Asian cast and introduces Marvel’s first lead Asian superhero. The ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe is back in theaters with one of the most anticipated blockbusters of 2021.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |