Long before Simu Liu got the opportunity to play the role of Marvel’s first Asian superhero, he used to dress up as another character at children’s parties: the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!
During his first appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” Simu–who also used to work as a ​​stock photo model–talked about the time he worked at kids’ parties and how a specific experience “lit a fire under” him.
“I really can’t believe my life right now because 10 years ago, I actually had a job dressing up as Spider-Man for kids’ birthday parties, which meant parents would pay me to entertain their kids while they were day drinking,” he said.
“I’ll never forget this one birthday boy–his name was Trevor–and I don’t want to say anything bad about him, but let’s just say he was a real Trevor. He kept kicking my shins and screaming, ‘You’re not Spider-Man! You’re not Spider-Man!'”
“But it also lit a fire under me. And I don’t know where he is now, but Trevor, if you’re watching, I just want to say, you were right. I’m not Spider-Man. I’m Shang-Chi.”
The “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” actor also said that he politely asked Marvel to create his role seven years ago. Reminds us of when Ariana Grande manifested her dream role on Twitter!
“A lot of people ask me how I landed a role in a Marvel movie. The truth is, I got ‘Shang-Chi’ how every Canadian gets their big break–by asking politely,” he said.
“Back in 2014, and this is a true story, I tweeted, ‘Hey, Marvel, great job with Captain America and Thor. Now, how about an Asian superhero?’ And at the time, I think the tweet got like 10 likes, which was like 10 more than I usually got,” he continued.
“But I worked hard and five years later, Marvel did make their first Asian superhero movie, and after I got the part, I went online and tweeted, ‘Thanks for getting back to me.”
The “Saturday Night Live” episode aired on November 20, 2021 marks Simu’s first time to host on the show. He was joined by Saweetie, a fellow SNL first-timer, who performed her hits “Best Friend” and “Tap In.”
