Simu Liu became a household name after his lead role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but the Canadian actor and singer has had memorable appearances in several non-superhero movies and TV shows as well. Having only recently become a major star, Liu’s acting credits aren’t as deep as many of his fellow MCU stars. Even so, the actor has been involved in a handful of memorable projects beyond his work in Shang-Chi.
Starting out as a model for stock photographs and then acting as an extra in productions like Pacific Rim, Liu emerged as a true Hollywood underdog considering the mainstream popularity he achieved. The Kim’s Convenienceand Barbie star has had on-screen opportunities to display both his comedic timing and dramatic prowess. Occasionally, his film and TV roles also allow him to display other skills, like martial arts, dancing, and rapping. Liu has also indulged in some voice-acting, as is evident from his role as a main character in an anime spinoff of Netflix’s Bright and his single-episode appearances in Star Wars: Visions, The Simpsons, and Corner Gas Animated.
9 One True Loves (2023)
Simu Liu plays Sam
One True Loves is a romantic drama about a woman conflicted between choosing two men: a past lover who unexpectedly resurfaces in her life and her current romantic interest. Liu plays the latter while Grammy-winner Phillipa Soo stars as the heroine. An adaptation of the 2016 romance novel of the same name, One True Loves offers Liu an opportunity to display his effortlessness as a charming romantic lead. But in terms of narrative, the movie ultimately becomes formulaic due to its use of a love triangle, a frequently used trope in movies of its genre. Still, there’s enough drama to make One True Loves a guilty pleasure.
8 Taken (2017-2018)
Simu Liu plays Faaron
Liam Neeson rebranded himself as an action star with “a particular set of skills” and some brutal kills in the Taken movies. The TV prequel to this action franchise, unfortunately, was met with polarizing reviews. Despite Clive Standen’s committed performance as a younger version of Neeson’s Brian Mills, Taken couldn’t set itself apart from other thriller series of the time. Yet, the two-season series makes for intriguing espionage fiction with Liu offering the best of his Shang-Chi era. Liu had a recurring role in Taken as the military control room operative Faaron, a supporting performance that offered an early glimpse of the actor’s on-screen earnestness.
7 Simulant (2023)
Simu Liu plays Casey
The sci-fi drama Simulant offers an interesting but haunting look at the future of Artificial Intelligence. In a world where humanoid simulants can stand in for deceased human beings, an android enters a widow’s household to replace her dead husband. But as it gains more consciousness, the sentient being enlists a hacker’s help to start his own AI revolution. In terms of its storyline, it can also draw comparisons with the Black Mirror episode “Be Right Back.” While sci-fi aficionados wouldn’t get any new revelations, Simulant is effective as a work of minimalist sci-fi with Simu Liu’s strong performance as the antiheroic hacker Casey.
6 Women Is Losers (2021)
Simu Liu plays Gilbert
The moving period comedy-drama Women Is Losers focuses on 60s-era feminism and the immigration experience from the perspective of Celina Guerrera, a teenager whose life is turned upside down after an unexpected pregnancy. As she navigates her way through her conservative family and Catholic high school, the endearing indie drama offers a career highlight for Lorenza Izzo in the lead role. The movie’s cast also includes Simu Liu stepping in as Celina’s supporting boss Gilbert. His involvement in an acclaimed movie like Women Is Losers also proves how the star can make good use of playing non-lead parts and participating in diverse narratives.
5 Bright: Samurai Soul (2021)
Simu Liu voices Izou
Retrospective views suggest that Netflix’s Bright isn’t as bad as people and critics deemed it to be in its time. But the David Ayer sci-fi cop thriller thankfully spawned the anime prequel Bright: Samurai Soul. Adorned with visually striking animation and adrenaline-fueled one-on-one duels, Bright: Samurai Soul takes the action back to late 19th century Japan. The film seeks to offer more context behind the interspecies tensions between humans and Orcs. Simu Liu was involved in the movie’s English dub as Izou, a righteous ronin who teams up with Orc warrior Raiden to protect a young elf girl and a magical artifact with shocking consequences.
4 Blood And Water (2015-2021)
Simu Liu plays Paul
The crime drama Blood and Water offers one of Simu Liu’s most understated performances. The series focused on the inner workings of a family with a successful real-estate business. But the source of their wealth raises questions, with Liu’s Paul being a guardian of the Xie family’s dubious secrets. While Liu has displayed his comedic chops in many previous appearances, Blood and Water proved how intense and brooding he can be. His main role in the Canadian series earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Canadian Screen Awards and a nomination for Outstanding Performance (Male) at the country’s ACTRA Awards.
3 Kim’s Convenience (2016-2021)
Even before his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Kim’s Convenience offered Simu Liu his first major breakthrough as an actor. The Canadian sitcom dealt with the everyday life of a Korean-origin family that runs the titular convenience store. Liu’s Jung Kim is a charming but naïve worker at a car rental who also happens to be estranged from his father “Appa”, the standout character of the series, played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. Liu and Lee’s on-screen chemistry offers many chuckle-worthy moments, but their turbulent father-son relationship can also evoke some genuine sentimentality. Kim’s Convenience is most certainly one of Liu’s best roles.
2 Barbie (2023)
Simu Liu plays Tourist Ken
Greta Gerwig’s existentialist satire on the beloved Mattel property turned out to be the summer blockbuster of 2023. While Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling got the meatiest parts as Barbie and Ken, Barbie boasted a stellar ensemble cast with Simu Liu also joining in as one of the Ken dolls. In his attempts to woo Robbie’s Barbie, Liu is often at odds with Gosling’s Ken resulting in laughs and thrills. Their musical face-off in the latter part of “I’m Just Ken” is a hilarious clash of two dolls trying to be alpha. The headline-making song also allowed Liu to showcase his singing and dancing skills.
1 Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
After years of small roles, Simu Liu hit it big when he got the opportunity to play the MCU’s first Asian superhero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. As the titular superhero, Liu displayed great dramatic range while also holding his own in the physically demanding fight sequences. What also made his performance one of the best MCU debuts was how expertly Simu Liu could share screen space with an acting legend like Tony Leung who played his villainous on-screen father Xu Wenwu. Even without his powers, Shang-Chi emerged as a wholesome hero, one who balances his immense strength with an introspective vulnerability.
