Simu Liu Responds to Disney CEO Calling ‘Shang-Chi’ an ‘Experiment’

The Chinese-born actor fired back at Disney CEO Bob Chaprek, who described the film's rollout as an "interesting experiment," during this week's earnings call.

Simu Liu
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Image via Getty/Chris Delmas/AFP

Simu Liu

Actor Simu Liu appears to have fired back at Disney’s top executive.

During Disney’s Q3 earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek addressed the rollout for Liu’s upcoming MCU flick, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Chapek touched on Disney’s decision to release the film exclusively in theaters for 45 days before making its way onto Disney+. The move makes Shang-Chi one of the first Disney projects to have a staggered release, as its most recent projects have premiered simultaneously in theaters and on streaming services.

“On ‘Shang-Chi,’ we think it’s going to be an interesting experiment,” Chapek said during the call. “The prospect of taking a Marvel title to [Disney+] after just 45 days would be an interesting data point.”

Liu, who plays the film’s titular superhero, apparently wasn’t thrilled with Chapek’s word choice.

“We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated,” Liu wrote on social media. “We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I’m fired the f**k up to make history ...”

Shang-Chi, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is Marvel’s first film with an Asian lead. The movie co-stars Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, and Tony Leung, and is set to hit theaters on Sept. 3.

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