The Cast of Shang-Chi
Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings is making history as the first Asian-led superhero film. The entire cast and it's director (Destin Daniel Cretton) are all of Asian descent. In order to bring Shang-Chi to life, it had to be done right. This stellar cast may not be known my many just yet - but they are bound to become household names. Let's dive into who these actors really are.
The Cast of Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings
Michelle Yeoh / Ying Nan
Michelle is a well respected actress in Hollywood, best known for her roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Tomorrow Never Dies. Michelle is a trained dancer, and in all of her films you can see she uses that to her advantage when doing stunt work for fight sequences. Michelle is also of Han Chinese descent. In Shang-Chi, she portrays the role of Ying Nan. Ying Nan is the guardian to a mythical city and the aunt of Shang-Chi and Xialing.
Meng'er Zhang / Xialing
Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings is Meng'er's first Hollywood film. She's of Chinese descent and says she grew up seeing Asian representation on screen, so it's a big deal for her to portray such a powerful character. Meng'er portrays the role of Xialing in film. Xialing is Shang-Chi's sister, but I can assure you she is more than just a sidekick.
Tony Chiu-Wai Leung / Xu Wenwu
Like Michelle, Tony is another well respected actor in Hollywood. He's famous for action roles where he normally plays brooding anti-heroes in films such as Infernal Affairs and In the Mood for Love. Tony is of Chinese descent - he was born in Hong Kong. In Shang-Chi, he portrays the character, Xu Wenwu. Wenwu is rumored to be the real Mandarin in the film, he's also the father of Shang-Chi and Xialing.
Awkwafina / Katy
Awkwafina is a well-known actress, comedian, and rapper. She's most famous for her work in Ocean's 8, Crazy Rich Asians, and most recently Raya and The Last Dragon. Awkwafina is of Korean/Chinese descent. She was the first Asian-American woman to win a Golden Globe for her role as Billie in The Farewell. Awkwafina is a well-rounded young artist, which makes her a perfect fit for the MCU. She portrays the role of Katy, who is Shang-Chi's oldest friend.
Simu Liu / Shang-Chi
Simu îs a Canadian actor who immigrated from China at the age of 5. He's best known for his role as Jung Kim on the TV sitcom, Kim's Convenience. Simu also extensively trains in Martial Arts and stunt work, which makes him the perfect Shang-Chi. Simu is the perfect candidate to become the next big Marvel hero (and heart-throb), and by the already rave reviews of his performance, it's safe to say we will be seeing a lot more of him in the future.
The only character that is still a mystery is that of The Death Dealer. Although the character doesn't have an official actor attached to it, it does give credit to his stunt performer - Andy Le. Andy is best known for his stunt work in The Paper Tigers and Wu-Tang: An American Saga. Andy is also a mostly self-taught martial artist with very little formal training. Just like his fellow cast-mates, Andy is also of Asian descent. We know that The Death Dealer is one of Shang-Chi's greatest foe's from the comics, but we'll have to wait until we see the film to find out who The Death Dealer really is.
The cast of Shang-Chi is an amazing line up that does justice to the comic counterparts. Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings premieres in theaters on September 3rd.
