Dear Gossips,

Simu Liu was at the Hollywood premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home last night. That’s not a surprise. Shang-Chi is part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it’s assumed that Peter Parker and Shang-Chi will eventually unite in some way for a new Avengers collaboration. Marvel, naturally, will never reveal how exactly all its characters will come together eventually, so I don’t know if the actors themselves are aware of how it’s all going to happen.

As for Simu, it’s been another big week in what’s already been a huge year for him professionally. Shang-Chi was a undeniable success, currently the highest-grossing domestic release of the year (until Spider-Man opens) which is especially impressive considering the first almost ten minutes of the movie is in Mandarin. It was made official last week that Destin Daniel Cretton will return to write and direct the sequel.

Simu hosted Saturday Night Live. Last week he won big at the People’s Choice Awards taking home the Action Movie Star of the Year award and Shang-Chi winning Action Movie of the Year. The PCAs are obviously not super prestigious but like all award shows, they’re a popularity contest, and seeing an East Asian performer in an East Asian movie represent on that stage, a stage often populated by the Jennifer Anistons and the Robert Downey Jrs of the world… well… it’s rare, it’s special, and it means something to those of us who have been watching for so long and longing to someone who looks like us.

And the awards keep piling up for Simu. The Unforgettable Gala is an annual event in Hollywood recognising the achievements of Asian and Pacific Islander leaders. Simu showed up in lucky red this weekend to accept the Breakout Actor Award and the Vanguard Award for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While on stage, he thanked those in the East Asian arts community for their help along the way:

“There are so many people here tonight fighting the good fight…showing me what it means to be unapologetically Asian. The more I think about it, the more it feels like a super power.”

He concluded his speech by encouraging those in the audience to:

“Show the world how f*cking cool it is to be Asian.”

I am Asian. Growing up in Canada, it took me a long time to appreciate how f-cking cool it is to be Asian. There are kids out there now he are learning this early – actually, they might not even have to “learn” it, for them they could just be out here knowing it, without even having to know that they know it. This is our wildest dreams coming true.

What’s next for Simu? I mean, presenting at the Oscars at this point is a no-brainer, right?

Also attached – Simu with Sandra Oh who was a winner at Unforgettable too. And another Canadian, named Breakout Television Actor at Unforgettable: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, amazing Devi in Never Have I Ever. Are you wondering about season three? Me too. They just started shooting at the end of November. Season two followed roughly the same schedule, with production beginning near the beginning of November and wrapping in March and then premiering in July. So, hopefully, Netflix will release season three by summer of 2022…or the second half of the year?

Yours in gossip,

Lainey

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan Gossip

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