You might want to look out for Simu Liu on Dancing with the Stars sometime soon, especially as he prepares to cut some serious shapes for the upcoming Barbie movie. The Canadian actor made waves as Shang-Chi in the Marvel Universe, becoming known as the first superhero of Asian descent in the MCU. Although Ryan Gosling is the Ken to Margot Robbie’s Barbie, Liu is credited as Ken #2 in the cast list, plus it appears that he’ll have a rather major role despite Gosling demoting him to a Ken of a Ken.
As we inch towards Barbie‘s July 21 release date, Liu has treated his Twitter followers to some BTS footage of him working alongside a choreographer to tap into his ‘Kenergy.” The video was dated for March 2021, which Liu confirmed to be the first day of filming Barbie. Now that’s a long, long time. Over two years in the making (and probably even longer, if you factor in pre-production), and it’ll all pay off (hopefully) in just over a month.
Who knew that Liu was such a promising dancer? He might not be winning any awards… yet, but he’s got the makings of a great Ken. Although he does miss a few steps here and there, you have to cut him some slack, it’s his first day! Check out Shang-Chi cutting a rug in the short clip below.
Liu has only been active in the acting industry since 2012, landing his first role in the action-thriller drama series Nikita. His feature-film debut came as an extra in Pacific Rim (does that even count?), and then in 2021, he truly made a name for himself as Shang-Chi after an eight-year hiatus from feature-film acting altogether. He did, however, star in numerous TV shows in the meantime, including Orphan Black, The Simpsons, and several talk show appearances.
Imagination, life is your creation! Get ready to party with Barbie (and Ken) on July 21, 2023.