Simu Liu Gets Brutally Honest About His Chances of Being James Bond

Simu Liu has never been shy about calling out how Hollywood treats Asian talent. His latest round of comments goes straight at the sacred cows: James Bond and Jason Bourne. Short version: he does not expect to be in that conversation, and he is not sugarcoating why.

What Liu actually said about Bond and Bourne

In a new chat with The Hollywood Reporter, the 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' and 'Barbie' star said he knows Asian actors are not getting considered for roles like Bond or Bourne. Instead of waiting for that door to open, he is focusing on parts that are built with identity in mind, pointing to a character he plays named Alexander Hale.

"Knowing that I would never get an opportunity to play a role like Bond, something like the Alexander Hale character is such a blessing because his cultural identity is really baked into his character."

He also made a point that the push for inclusion can be uneven in practice.

"Fighting for representation for all marginalized communities is important, but it can sometimes suck if you are not a part of that conversation."

His bigger point: stop blaming Asian leads when a franchise tanks

Liu has been on this beat for a while. On Threads, he argued that Asian performers do not get the same margin for error as white leads, especially when a pricey movie stumbles. He also called out the lack of funding for Asian-led projects.

"Put some Asians in literally anything right now. The amount of backslide in our representation onscreen is f*cking appalling. Studios think we are risky…"

"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 are fighting a deeply prejudiced system. And most days it SUCKS."

Is that blunt? Absolutely. Is he wrong about who gets second chances in this business? Look at recent history and decide for yourself.

Daniel Craig had a clean solution back in 2021

When Daniel Craig was doing his final 007 lap with 'No Time to Die' in 2021, he was asked whether Bond should be a woman. His take was not about guarding the brand. It was about building new ones.

"There should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?"

Apply that logic here: instead of trying to retrofit Bond or Bourne, create an Asian spy hero that can stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Liu even hints he has a role like that in Alexander Hale, where identity is part of the character by design.

Quick refresher: Craig's last Bond outing

• No Time to Die (2021)
• Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
• Cast: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Rami Malek
• Release date: September 30, 2021
• IMDb: 7.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
• Worldwide box office: $774 million
• Production: Eon Productions
• Where to watch: Amazon

So, Bond or brand-new?

Would you actually want to see Simu Liu suit up as 007, or would you rather watch him lead a brand-new spy franchise built for him from the ground up?