Syfy Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View

Exclusive: Watch 'Shang-Chi' star Simu Liu recount his MCU journey to Bear Grylls on the side of a mountain

"I get a call from Kevin Feige ... and he's like, 'I'm about to change your life.'"

Shang-Chi Still

After a battle with the Dweller-in-Darkness, you'd think subzero temperatures would be a walk in the park for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu. But not even vanquishing a borderline Lovecraftian entity prepares you for potential frostbite.

In an exclusive clip from the latest episode of National Geographic's Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge (premiering August 1), the actor sits down at a crackling campfire in the frigid Canadian Rockies to discus how he landed the coveted role of Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Emboldened by his work on Kim's Convenience, Liu obtained a work visa that would allow him to pursue a full-time acting career in Los Angeles. He didn't have much luck until 2019, when he got a chance to audition for "an untitled Marvel project, which I was fairly sure was Shang-Chi," he states in the video. Liu adds that his hopes of actually landing the role weren't very high.

"It was like buying a lottery ticket. The odds were so astronomically small. I really didn't expect to hear back. But I got a call a couple weeks later from my manager and he was like, 'Look, you should find your way down to LA, the director would love to meet you.' Knowing that you have a real chance, that's almost the scariest thing of all..."

Two days after meeting with Shang-Chi director and co-writer Destin Daniel Cretton (and now the director of Marvel's upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty), Liu got a call from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.

"[Feige]'s like, 'I'm about to change your life' and he offers me the role. I think I yelled, I screamed. And then four days later, I was on a plane to San Diego [for] Comic-Con and getting announced in front of the whole world."

Check out the clip below:

Liu's episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge airs on National Geographic this Monday (Aug. 1) at 9 p.m. ET.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings can now be streamed on Disney+. A direct sequel is on the way from Cretton, who is also hard at work on a Wonder Man television series (no release date has been given) While Shang-Chi's future in the MCU is currently unknown, the first movie's mid-credits sequence did tease a major cosmic connection to the hero's circular weapons of choice.

Marvel Studios' next outing, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, officially premieres on Disney+ Wednesday, Aug. 17.

Suddenly in the mood for some serious superhero action? Peacock is streaming Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin right now.

It's a fan thing
Join SYFY Insider to get access to exclusive videos and interviews, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Sign Up for Free
Related Stories
You May Also Like
Recommended by Zergnet