Simu Liu Cheated On ‘Marvel Diet’ During Shang-Chi Production To Have Chilli Crab With Michelle Yeoh: “You Don’t Say No That”

Let’s face it: everyone has trouble resisting calorie-rich food. By everyone, we mean superheroes, or rather actors who play them.

Simu Liu, the star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings — Marvel Studio’s first Asian-led blockbuster — admitted that he strayed from the strict no/low carb diet that’s integral in transforming his physique befitting a superhero.

In an interview with Asian-American news website NextShark, Liu, 32, said that when the production — at Fox Studios, Sydney, Australia — was suspended in March 2020 because of Covid-19 pandemic, he took a break from the ‘Marvel Diet’ as well.

“As the start-up date kept getting pushed, I was like ‘Okay, maybe I can loosen up a bit.’ Then all of a sudden, they said ‘we’re starting again’ and I had to get back into shape,” said Liu.

The Chinese-Canadian said that when filming resumed in July, he and co-star Ronny Chieng became workout buddies and worked their butts off daily with a trainer.

Even then the Kim's Convenience star still had a tough time sticking to the prescribed ‘Marvel Diet’.

“I’m a big food guy. I’m outing myself as someone who didn’t follow their ‘Marvel Diet’ as much as they should have,” he told NextShark. “When you have chilli crab with [co-star] Michelle Yeoh on the table, you don’t say no to that.”

Liu added that Sydney is a city spoiled with Asian food options and for a predominantly Asian cast that was a blessing. He said there was “such a plethora of cuisine and so much to celebrate.”

“We seem to agree on food options a lot more than usual,” he said. “Ronnie and Michelle, having roots in Malaysia, would take us out to this delicious chili crab [place]. I absolutely fell in love with chili crab.”

Liu also mentioned that he and Tony Leung, who plays his father in the movie, ate “delicious seafood” together.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens in Singapore cinemas on Sept 1.

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos