Shang-Chi star Simu Liu slams cancellation of Kim’s Convenience, news of spin-off
The Marvel actor expressed a "host of emotions" about the series' end and the planned spin-off starring actress Nicole Power, including feeling "resentful of all of the circumstances that led to the one non-Asian character getting her own show".
Actor Simu Liu attends The Lion King Canadian Premiere held at Scotiabank Theatre on July 17, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo: George Pimentel/Getty Images for Disney Studios/AFP)
Simu Liu, the star of Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience and whom we’ll soon see as Shang-Chi in the upcoming Marvel superhero movie, has let loose his feelings about the TV series’ cancellation. This comes after the final season of the show dropped on Netflix in the US.
Liu wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday (Jun 2) that he was feeling a “host of emotions” about the series ending after season five, and not season six as was originally planned. (The show’s producers decided to end the series after the departure of two showrunners, Ins Choi and Kevin White.)
He also revealed his mixed feelings about the planned spin-off, which will focus on the Shannon character, played by Nicole Power. Liu’s character, Jung, was dating Shannon in Kim’s Convenience.
Liu wrote: “I love and am proud of Nicole, and I want the show to succeed for her... but I remain resentful of all of the circumstances that led to the one non-Asian character getting her own show. And not that they would ever ask, but I will adamantly refuse to reprise my role in any capacity."
The 32-year-old actor also refuted claims that he would not have participated in the sixth season of the show because of his Marvel fame.
"This could not be further from the truth. I love this show and everything it stood for. I saw firsthand how profoundly it impacted families and brought people together. It's truly SO RARE for a show today to have such an impact on people, and I wanted very badly to make the schedules work."
Another gripe he touched on was the lack of opportunities for the actors in the series to develop their characters, and also that the writer’s room "lacked both East Asian and female representation” with the only Korean voice being Choi.
"I can appreciate that the show is still a hit and is enjoyed by many people. But I remain fixated on the missed opportunities to show Asian characters with real depth and the ability to grow and evolve," he wrote.
READ: Marvel's 1st Asian superhero movie Shang-Chi finally has a trailer out now
He also admitted that there were times that he and the other cast members did not get along, which, he said, breaks him because “I think we all individually were SO committed to the success of the show and SO aware of how fortunate we all were". However, he wrote, "We just all had different ideas on how to get there".
Liu ended his post by saying that while he’s saddened that the audience won’t get to watch the characters again, he still believes in what the show once stood for – “a shining example of what can happen when the gates come down and minorities are given a chance to shine".
