That’s a very, very different energy for a male protagonist than I think a lot of us are used to seeing. I came to this revelation that while Jesse is fighting and expanding this effort, Sam is working equally as hard, but to be the partner that he feels like Emma needs.

I think I caught myself on that loop because, before Jesse emerged as an early choice and before committing to that, I really wanted to take the time to really get into Sam’s head and to think about what Sam is doing.

It’s that idea of, how hard are you willing to fight? I feel like, for a lot of romantic movies that we’ve watched over the years, there are these grand romantic gestures that signify how hard a man is willing to fight and therefore conditioning the audience that his person should definitely be with the man who fights the hardest. I felt like, in a lot of ways, Jesse is a very archetypal male protagonist in a romance, where he’s the guy that’s willing to swim halfway around the world to be with the person that he loves. SIMU LIU: I ingested the script and really thought long and hard. Was it always Sam and only Sam for you? Did you ever seriously consider playing Jesse, or did you just know you were more connected to Sam?

He also talked about the inevitable Shang-Chi sequel and what fans can expect, and how he takes care of himself when he’s not in superhero training.Ĭollider: I read that when producer Sarah Finn passed this to you, that you had the option of choosing between the two leading men. During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Liu talked about the choice he had to make about which character he wanted to play, what sets Sam apart from a typical romance character, exploring Sam’s anxiety and neuroses, his desire to play against type, and what he enjoyed about working with co-star Soo.

Simu liu one true loves