Landing the role of the titular character in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a life-changing experience for Simu Liu, as the actor has revealed in several interviews in the past. A new featurette now offers a look at how he trained for the film and was able to portray the role of the first Asian superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The video was shared by Marvel Studios on its social media channels and shows behind-the-scenes footage of Liu on the sets of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The actor refers to the role of Shang-Chi as the “experience of a lifetime,” and along with director Destin Daniel Cretton and co-star Awkwafina, takes viewers on a journey of his training process.
The minute-long video shows Liu training for some of the Shang-Chi action sequences alongside professionals and stuntmen as he learns the fight choreography, which was an integral part of the film. “A lot of that physical intensity of the training that he went through really mirrored the character,” Cretton is heard saying about Liu's efforts. He believes that Liu worked hard enough to take complete ownership of Shang-Chi's character.
Martial arts, tai chi, and wushu are some of the fight styles incorporated in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which makes it quite unique compared to other MCU projects. Before the film was released, Cretton had revealed that the movie’s action sequences were inspired by several Jackie Chan films. Even though the character doesn’t have any particular superpowers for the majority of the film, Shang-Chi is still powerful and quick enough to defeat several of his opponents.
The featurette was released as part of the home release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, with the film arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on November 30. It is one of the many extra clips that fans can watch as part of the home release, including bonus feature content, deleted scenes, a hilarious Shang-Chi gag reel, and multiple featurettes that offer insight into the making of the popular Marvel film.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now streaming on Disney Plus and available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Source: Marvel Entertainment/Twitter