Simu Liu Auditioned Four Times For 'Crazy Rich Asians' But Was Rejected For Not Having The 'It Factor'

Marvel actor Simu Liu says he was sad and devastated after being rejected for a role in “Crazy Rich Asians” and told that he didn’t have the “it factor” the interviewers were looking for to feature in the film. 

Liu recently spoke about the experience and shared that although he was disappointed when he was rejected, he was happy when the film came out and happy that it all worked out in the end.

Read on to find out everything he said.

“Crazy Rich Asians” was one of the best and highest-earning movies of 2018 and received a lot of positive fan and film critic reviews, especially for its positive and honest Asian representation. The movie was based on a book of the same written by Kevin Kwan.

Last year, during an interview with Interview magazine, Liu revealed that he auditioned for a role in the movie four times but received a rejection every time. At the time, he was already a bubbling underdog with his role in the hit TV show “Kim’s Convenience.”

During a subsequent interview on the podcast, "How To Fail With Elizabeth Day," Liu spoke about the experience and explained that when he was rejected all four times, he had to ask his agent to get an explanation because he felt he initially had “really positive feedback.”

Liu shared the feedback that his agent got for him. He said, “Through some sort of broken telephone, whether it had gone through a studio exec or a casting director before it got to our side, we got, ‘Well Simu doesn’t have the x-factor. The it factor.’ And that was just such a crushing blow for me.”

The 33-year-old actor added, “It felt like someone was telling me that I just wasn’t good enough. That I just wasn’t likable. I didn’t have that thing that made people want to watch it. It was at a time that was very difficult for me. I was trying to figure out whether I could be the lead character or whether I could only be a supporting character for my entire career.”

Liu also explained during his podcast appearance that the rejections happened shortly after his move to LA to focus more on his career as an actor. This made the rejections even more painful, but eventually, he moved on, and by the time the movie premiered, he was “so grateful” and “truly happy” for the rejection and how it changed him.

He said, “It forced me to take a step back and realize that maybe I wanted it too badly. Like maybe I was too desperate and that desperation was showing in my work. There had to be an element of confidence in what I was doing and self-assuredness. I had to trust I was talented and I was watchable and I was good.”

Thankfully, Liu later found his way to stardom when he was cast as the lead role in Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which broke box office records when it premiered on Labor day. 

Marvel fans and film critics applauded Liu’s performance and talent in the film, and there is a lot of anticipation for his future Marvel appearances. He even won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Action Movie Star for his role in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

Liu is already booked up, as he recently revealed that he has a role in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” film, also featuring Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, and Ncuti Gatwa. Liu’s role in the film hasn’t been revealed yet as most of the movie is still shrouded in secrecy, but fans are sure he will be excellent.