Simu Liu and his struggles before and after becoming a star

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Quotes

Ten years ago I thought my life was over. I had wasted countless time and money that my family had invested in me. Years of schooling, gifted programs, trying to live up to my parents’ expectations. It all came crashing down in an instant. I spent four of those years running around like a headless chicken trying to figure out how to break into the industry, struggling with credit card debt and taking any job I could,...Another three years were spent trying to break into Hollywood, sinking my precious life savings into something many would call a pipe dream. It’s really only been these past three years that anything I’ve done has begun to bear any fruit.

Simu Liu

If I were to offer advice to others in a similar situation, it is that you really have to listen to yourself. You really have to take the time to check in with yourself and ask yourself the questions, you know, demand that of yourself, like, know what you want, or if you don’t know what you want, know what you want to try,...I think if what’s happened to me can be an inspiring story for anything, it’s this – you really can accomplish anything, but you need to give yourself permission to go for it.

Simu Liu

References

• Simu Liu opens up about personal battle with anxiety on Shang-Chi set

  On set, Liu threw himself into the role, overcoming mental health struggles in order to become the master of Kung Fu.

  Esquire

• The Real-Life Diet of Simu Liu, Who Says He's “Relatively Undisciplined”

  And all of that pushing has gone hand in hand with prioritizing his mental and physical health, and he recently caught up with GQ to share more about what he's learned about mental and physical well-being.

  GQ

• Simu Liu can do it all – from acting to singing and now dancing up a storm in new movie 'Barbie'

  He worked his way up from doing stunt work, to acting as an extra on various American TV shows that were filmed in Canada, to getting a regular gig in the Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience in 2016, and finally nabbing the titular role in the 2021 Marvel flick Shang-Chi.

  TheStar

• 'At peace': Simu Liu opens up about mental health on 34th birthday

  On Wednesday, the Marvel star took to Instagram to share a black-and-white photo of himself, paired with an emotional note about making it through a tough year.

  Yahoo

• Shang-Chi's Simu Liu Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles Due to Stardom

  The actor concluded his Instagram post on a positive note by telling fans that he has begun to prioritize his mental well-being and is in therapy now. Liu revealed that thanks to self-care, he has begun to see himself as a better person and as a "good and decent man."

  CBR

• Simu Liu opens up about repairing his relationship with his immigrant parents after childhood trauma

  A drop in his academic performance to a B-average later worsened his situation at home, as it led to screaming matches and physical punishment. "I remember thinking, 'I've got the worst parents in the world.' I felt so alone. Nobody could understand what I was enduring at home," he told People.

  Yahoo

• Simu Liu Thanks Former Boss Who Fired Him from Accounting Job: ‘I Owe My Life to Being Let Go’

  There is no such thing as failure, as Simu Liu can attest. The groundbreaking Marvel superhero star of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” has a legendary origin story of his own: Liu partially owes his acting career to being fired from what he thought was his dream job 10 years ago exactly.

  IndieWire

• Before 'Shang-Chi,' Simu Liu was a model for stock photos, and fans keep sharing them on Twitter

  Before becoming Marvel's first Asian superhero, Liu was a model for stock photos and has appeared in textbooks and advertisements all over the world.

  Insider