Shang-Chi Star Reveals MCU Advice Tom Hiddleston Gave Him

In less than six weeks, Simu Liu’s life and career is going to change forever when the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters, with the actor taking top billing in a blockbuster from the world’s biggest franchise in what’s just his second proper big screen role, and third overall after he appeared as an extra in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim.

As recently as seven years ago, Liu was a stock photo model being paid $100 per gig, but now he’s set to become a household name should the martial arts superhero fantasy perform in line with the rest of the Marvel Studios’ output at the box office. It’s a hell of a turnaround for the 32 year-old, best known to date for his role in sitcom Kim’s Convenience, especially when his casting was announced by bringing him onto the stage at Comic-Con alongside some of the biggest names in the MCU.

In a new interview, Liu reveals the advice he was given by Tom Hiddleston, who knows a thing or two about the impact a major part in the MCU can have on the career of a relatively unknown actor.

“I had a wonderful conversation with Tom Hiddleston the day I was announced at Comic-Con. And he was so great. He was just such a gentle human. The kind of person to just kind of get your head straight. He was like, ‘You’ve got to enjoy it. You’ve just got to accept the good with all the other stuff. Just accept the fact that if you go on vacation somewhere to some random island that people are going to know where you’re from. Because that is how far-reaching and pervasive that Marvel movies are’. There’s something really beautiful about that, but there’s a different lifestyle that you have to grow very accustomed to. But, I’m really excited everyone has been so phenomenal. Very welcoming so far. It feels like I’m joining a beautiful family.”

Fans have been receptive to the footage we’ve seen so far from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which promises to be yet another deviation from the standard MCU formula that’s served Kevin Feige and his team so well over the last thirteen years. It’s also the landmark 25th feature length installment, and it looks as though director Destin Daniel Cretton, leading man Liu and the rest of the cast and crew will be hitting the milestone in style.