What Simu Liu’s Callout Reveals About Hollywood’s Racial Double Standard on Asian Men

Simu Liu wrote in a now-deleted thread about the pitfalls Asian men still face in Hollywood. (Credit: Marvel Studios)

Eight years after Crazy Rich Asians and four years after Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Asian men are still being overlooked as leading men. Shang-Chi star Simu Liu recently made news by calling out Hollywood for this practice.

In November, outlets like Variety and Comic Sands reported that the Marvel and The Copenhagen Test star wrote a response—now deleted—to a thread about the lack of Asian representation in romantic films.

The original post by @selfieignite said, “Hollywood, put more Asian men in romantic lead roles.” The thread included screenshots of Asian actors, like Manny Jacinto and John Cho, discussing their experiences of being overlooked for romantic leading roles.

Liu added, “Put some Asians in literally anything right now. The amount of backslide in our representation onscreen is f**king appalling.”

“Studios think we’re risky,” he continued. “Minari, [The] Farewell, Past Lives, Everything Everywhere [All at Once] Crazy Rich [Asians], Shang Chi. Every single one a financial success. No Asian actor has ever lost a studio even close to 100 million dollars but a white dude will lose 200 TWICE and roll right into the next tentpole lead. We’re fighting a deeply prejudiced system. And most days it SUCKS.”

Here’s the screenshot, shared by Comic Sands:

Why this matters

I think it’s unfortunate that Liu felt he had to delete his response, because he was right. Hollywood is going through a conservative resurgence right now. Even when the industry focused on diversity, Asian actors were still often overlooked.

The films Liu mentioned should have shown studio executives—who are mostly white, older men who may be set in their ideas about what sells—that movies with diverse leads are popular. To build on the original thread’s point, films like Crazy Rich Asians and A Simple Favor, both starring Henry Golding, should have proved that audiences want to see different romantic leads.

The numbers show that audiences want films with different kinds of leads. For years, articles have shown that movies with diverse casts do well at the box office. Forbes reported in 2024 that the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report found that in 2023, “nine of the top 10 films at the global box office featured casts that were more than 30 percent BIPOC, and five of the top 10 films at the global box office featured casts that were more than 40 percent female.” The study also found that BIPOC moviegoers made up the largest group buying opening weekend tickets for seven of the top 10 theatrical films. As the study put it, “Diverse audiences want to see theatrical films with diverse casts.”

Digital Content Next also cites the study, which found that “theatrical films with casts that were 31 percent to 40 percent BIPOC enjoyed the highest median global box office receipts, while films with casts that were less than 11 percent BIPOC were the poorest performers (echoing a pattern evident the last four years).”

What’s the deeper issue?

Sixteen Candles character Long Duk Dong is often cited as the modern-day archetype of the Asian dweeb stereotype. He is odd, creepy, and meant only as a comedic foil for the more socially acceptable white characters in the film. This role reflects how society had been trained to view Asian men as either a silly nuisance or a dangerous threat.

White supremacy keeps power by focusing on race. To hold onto that power, one group treats others as less in every way. This includes shaping ideas about who is seen as heroic, influential, or worthy. Stereotypes and racial tropes are part of this. These stereotypes not only make their targets feel insecure, but also teach white generations to see other races as one-dimensional.

Many stereotypes also focus on sexuality—who is seen as desirable or as a threat. Hollywood, and even the US government before it, has often shown Asian men as either oddly effeminate or desexualized, or as hypersexual men trying to take white women. These ideas go back to the “Yellow Peril” era in the 1800s, when Chinese laborers came to America for work. Laws later blocked Chinese men from voting, and because Chinese women were barred from immigrating due to stereotypes linking them to prostitution, Chinese men started marrying local women, including white women.

Later, Hollywood—which grew in part thanks to the racist film Birth of a Nation—kept spreading harmful ideas about Asian men. They were shown as dangerous, exotic, criminal, or just goofy and unattractive. These stereotypes shaped how people saw Asian men in real life, leading to teasing and doubts about masculinity, especially in dating. The lack of Asian role models in the media made things worse.

What can we do about it?

It takes all of us to break down stereotypes. The first step is to think about how you see Asian men in society. Have you accepted what movies and TV have told you? Have you tried to learn more about Asian cultures? Challenge your beliefs without feeling ashamed. Everyone raised in a society focused on race has something to unpack, so you’re not alone. If you want help understanding the stereotypes Asian people face, check out my free e-book, Being Asian in Hollywood.

Next, try watching films and TV shows with Asian actors. You can find Asian shows and movies on services like Viki, iQIYI, and Asiancrush. Or, use popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+ to watch Chinese, Korean, and Indian content.

The rise of K-content shows that some parts of the media industry know that diversity is popular. Streaming services are a great way to find diverse stories you might not see in mainstream films. Netflix’s K-drama section is a good example, with many viewers loving their favorite South Korean romantic leads.

Third, support projects that are breaking the mold. What kinds of films should you look for?

• Films with diverse casts and BIPOC directors: These movies often cast actors who don’t usually get leading roles. For example, Sinners, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, featured a diverse cast, including Yao, who became a fan favorite alongside Michael B. Jordan.
• Indie films: Independent films work outside the usual Hollywood system, so their directors often think differently about who should be in the spotlight. Many BIPOC directors and writers create stories here that might not get made by big studios. For example, Yao stars in the indie film Biz of Viz, written and directed by Judy Lei, according to Variety. The film also features Jodi Long, Leonard Wu, Ivan Leung, Kelly Ng, Carrie Vu, and Murielle Hsieh.

Fourth, remember that discrimination against one group affects everyone. The issue of representation isn’t just about Asian men. All minorities are connected in their fight against a racist and sexist system. It’s also important to note that white people are harmed by white supremacy, too. It limits how people see others and takes away chances to learn, grow, and experience more in life. Missing out on these experiences can leave someone emotionally, culturally, and socially limited. By learning about each other’s struggles, we can build empathy and move past harmful stereotypes. A society based on common respect and curiosity is much stronger than one based on fear and mental, physical, and emotional violence.

If you are ready to be a part of change, one person at a time, you can start unpacking the negative stories you might have internalized with the help of my other free resources, The First 5: 5 Thought-Provoking Media Literacy Starter Questions and Digging Deep: 5 Provocative Questions That Dig Below the Surface of Media Literacy. These resources reframe how you think about the narratives you consume from popular entertainment and allows you to use your curiosity to gain empathy for others.

If this article inspires you to learn more about other races, check out my book, The Book of Awesome Black Americans. I talk about how Black Americans—including those who are both Asian and Black—have helped make America better.