Simu Liu Discusses Responsibility Of Being Number One On Call Sheet And Asian Actor In Risk-Averse Hollywood

Simu

Liu, whose next film role is in Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday, says it is difficult to sustain success in Hollywood once you've made it big. The Asian actor, in a press conference for his upcoming TV series The Copenhagen Test, shared that diversity and representation are having a hard time in risk-averse Hollywood. That is why he's extremely grateful to have the opportunity to be an executive producer on The Copenhagen Test and why he doesn't take it lightly that he's number one on the call sheet.

Simu Liu on breaking out from Toronto to Hollywood

At the press conference ahead of his TV show, the Kim's Convenience actor said that he was lucky to start out in Canada and get his big Hollywood break. Simu shared, "I'm very grateful for the city of Toronto and for Ontario. I think it's a great place for talent to start out. I think I was able to really cut my teeth and develop chops. And then, I got to be in Hollywood, which is just a dream come true for somebody who grew up in an immigrant family and had absolutely no connections whatsoever to the industry. [It] seemed like almost an impossible dream. So, just the fact that I'm here, I never stop thinking about how much of a privilege it is."

Being Asian in Hollywood

He continued, "That being said, is it hard for Asian actors in this industry? I would say, 'Yeah.' It continues to be a battle. And sometimes, when the pendulum swings your way, you feel a little bit of wind beneath your wings and a little bit of momentum. And then, sometimes, I would say probably this current time, it feels like maybe the wind is against you, and the industry is at a point of contraction. People are becoming more risk-averse. Things that should be working in the box office aren't working. And so, everyone is just a little more anxious, and it impacts everything down to the decision-making. And for topics like diversity and representation, these things oftentimes get thrust aside when that kind of anxiety exists."

Finally, he spoke about the chance to become an executive producer on The Copenhagen Test. Simu added, "It means a little bit more ownership. It means the ability to build something from the ground up. And I'm very, very grateful for this opportunity because it's not every day that someone like me gets asked to be number one on a call sheet." The Copenhagen Test, which also stars Melissa Barrera, premieres on JioHotstar on December 28. Created by Thomas Brandon, the spy thriller is also executive produced by James Wan.