Simu Liu Claims No Asian Actor Has Ever Lost, Ignites Debate Over Hollywood’s Double Standards

Marvel star Simu Liu didn’t mince words on Threads, calling out Hollywood’s double standard and arguing Asian actors aren’t afforded the same cushion for box-office flops as white men — a pointed rebuke of an industry still short on real representation.

Simu Liu is done being polite about representation. The Marvel star took to Threads and basically said the quiet part out loud: Asian leads are treated like a financial risk in Hollywood, and Asian actors don’t get the same slack when a movie stumbles that white stars do.

What Liu actually said

Liu posted that studios have started backsliding on Asian stories and talent and still see them as risky bets. Then he dropped the kind of comparison most people dance around:

No Asian actor has ever lost a studio even close to 100 million dollars but a white dude will lose 200 million TWICE and roll right into the next tentpole lead. We're fighting a deeply prejudiced system. And most days it SUCKS.

He also pushed for, in his words, putting Asians in literally anything right now. Subtle he is not. And he’s not wrong to call out how forgiving the system can be for certain leading men.

Why this flared up now

Liu’s posts came as fans were asking for more Asian representation on screen, and right after fellow actor Manny Jacinto talked about the industry’s tendency to box people in. Jacinto, who broke out as Jason Mendoza on The Good Place and has since shown up in Star Wars: The Acolyte, Top Gun: Maverick, and Freakier Friday, told ScreenRant that he’s suddenly getting hit with a lot of dad-role auditions. He pushed back, saying that’s not him (at least not yet), and that he hates being shoved into a lane — the stubborn artist in him wants to try anything and everything.

For what it’s worth, Jacinto most recently played Eric Reyes in Freakier Friday.

Liu on backlash: he knows it’s coming

In a separate chat with Variety, Liu admitted he probably should be more worried about the blowback. He called the internet a place that makes people a little unhinged, where folks get off on piling on and knocking others down. He wants no part of that energy, but he’s also not going to stop saying what he thinks.

The bigger picture

Strip away the social media heat and the point is pretty straightforward: if studios keep labeling Asian-led projects as risky while repeatedly forgiving massive losses elsewhere, you’re going to see fewer greenlights, fewer chances, and fewer careers getting second acts. That’s the system Liu is calling out.

Freakier Friday is streaming on Disney+ in the U.S.