Among the impressive ensemble cast of the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is Dallas Liu, who portrays Ruihua, the younger brother of Awkwafina's character and Shang-Chi's best friend, Katy. While most of the MCU's story focuses on the family drama between Shang-Chi and his villainous father Wenwu, Katy and Ruihua offer a grounded look at a Chinese American family living in San Francisco, with the movie touching on the nuances of being an American-born Chinese.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Liu spoke about his experiences working on Shang-Chi, commented on being cast to portray Prince Zuko in Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and reflected on starting his career with 2009's Tekken film adaptation.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of the biggest films of the year. Do you remember how you first got involved with and cast in the project and working with filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton?
Dallas Liu: I started off with a self-tape [audition] and then I went in to meet with the casting director for a callback. A couple of weeks later, I received the call as I was about to go on vacation that I had booked the role. And I absolutely flipped. It was probably one of the best phone calls I've ever received.
Working with Destin Daniel Cretton, he's amazing. He's such a chill but hardworking guy at the same time, and he just really cares about everyone working on set at all times. He's a great guy.
Before going to film school, Destin worked with teenagers. How was your experience with him on set and was he different from other directors you've worked with in the past?
I didn't get to spend too much time with him. I wasn't working on Shang-Chi for a significant amount of time, but, for the time that I was with him, he made me feel extremely comfortable on set. It didn't feel like he was pressuring me to do anything as an actor and, overall, he's just a great guy all-around. Almost all the directors that I've worked with made me feel comfortable on set.
Apart from the sheer magnitude of getting to be a part of the MCU, was there a specific line or direction that informed your performance?
Honestly, I just went with the gut feeling of, if I was going to see the character of Ruihua in the movie, I approached it as a different version of myself if I had an older sibling. In my personal life, I am the older sibling so that's how my brother reacts to me in different situations with the family. Just being a part of the MCU, I'm just so grateful! [laughs] This is an opportunity that doesn't come by very often so I'm just enjoying it as much as I can.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time with the production?
I would probably say the time I got to spend with the cast off set, going out to eat with them. It felt like a close, tight-knit family. Everyone I got to work with -- Simu Liu, Awkwafina -- they're all such great, kind people. Overall, it was just a really good experience working with those top-tier actors.
Your role in the film serves as a familial contrast to Wenwu and also provides an American-born Chinese perspective into the film: I say this as a Korean American, but there is a difference between Chinese and American Chinese. How is it leaning into that?
I think that it's a great way to show to the world that we're not all the same by any means. There are so many different kinds of Asian cultures. I feel like any sort of American-born Asians are pretty different from the rest of the Asian community outside of the U.S.
It's just been announced that you've been cast as Prince Zuko in the live-action Avatar series. What's your own personal connection to the franchise and how does it feel to be able to play Zuko?
It's an honor! When I received the call that I had been cast, I was literally in tears. This is an actual dream come true, growing up watching Avatar: The Last Airbender and being able to play one of my favorite characters, it still feels unreal. [laughs]
I know you can't give anything away but Zuko is one of the more complicated characters in the animated series. How is it getting to play with that in live-action?
I would say that, as an actor seeing him in the animated series, this is definitely a great opportunity for me to show what I'm capable of on-screen.
In the animated series, Zuko has one of my favorite character development in any animated series or anime. Over the years that we see him in the animated series, he starts off as a villain and ends up teaming up with Team Aang, I love it! It's just overall a really great story for people to see.
Your first on-camera role was as a Jin Kazama in the Tekken movie. With the throughline between Shang-Chi, Avatar, and Tekken being martial arts, how was it working on that project starting out?
That was a long time ago! At the time, I was competing heavily in martial arts. Now, I'm more focused on acting but having that first initial experience of doing martial arts in front of a camera really sparked my interest to be in film. Obviously, at the time I wasn't thinking about it because I was so young but, over time competing in karate, I looked towards being an actor, for sure. I also had some peers that transitioned into the industry that I looked up to too.
Directed and co-written by Destin Daniel Cretton, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters on Sept. 3.