Simu Liu Accounting Job Firing Led to Years of Being Disinvited from Family Trips

Even a Marvel superhero isn't immune to the 'black sheep' treatment at home. Simu Liu, the star of Barbie and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, recently shared how his pivot from a stable accounting job to an uncertain acting career once led to a total fallout with his family.

The Fallout of Simu Liu's Accounting Job Firing

Appearing on 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' on January 7, Liu recounted the extreme shame his family felt when he lost his job as an accountant and decided to chase his Hollywood dreams. He compared the level of disappointment in his traditional household to the gravity of a severe addiction, stating, "It was bad." This period of friction was so intense that Liu was disinvited from family trips for a significant amount of time.

The actor noted that he recently visited China with his parents for the first time in 15 years. During the trip, he was able to reconnect with a grandmother he hadn't seen in over a decade. "I felt really guilty about not coming back sooner," Liu admitted, though he clarified that his status as the family's outcast made such gatherings impossible for years.

Unexpected Fame in a Restricted Market

Despite Shang-Chi never being released in Chinese theaters, Liu was stunned by the reception he received. After posting a photo of his hotel on social media, about 40 fans gathered in the lobby to see him. Liu described the moment as "overwhelming and sweet," especially since he hadn't expected anyone to recognize him in China.

Liu's journey hasn't been an overnight success. Before landing his breakout role in the sitcom Kim's Convenience, he struggled with major credit card debt and had nearly made peace with the life of a "starving artist." Now, as he stars in the spy drama The Copenhagen Test on Peacock and prepares for Avengers: Doomsday, those days of being disinvited seem like a distant memory.