Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) in Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
By now, we’re sure that you know Simu Liu, who starred as Jung in the Canadian comedy Kim’s Convenience and Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
But back then, he was working in an accounting organization (and posing for stock photos).
In fact, Liu was fired from his accounting job 10 years ago and he shared his story on social media.
He started:
“Ten years ago to the day, I was lead into my managing partner’s office at Deloitte and told that they were terminating my employment effective immediately. A lady from HR and a security guard escorted me back onto the floor in front of the entire open concept office. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Nobody moved, offered a whisper of encouragement or even looked in my direction. I fought back tears of humiliation, grabbed my things, and never looked back.”
At the time, he thought his life was over and that he wasted “countless time and money that my family had invested in me.” These include schooling, programs, and living up to his parents’ expectations.
Liu says that he gets introspective every April 12 (the day he was let go), but this year was significant since it marks the event’s 10th anniversary.
He said, “I know some of you have read Gladwell, and man was his prediction on point. Ten years or 10,000 hours. My goodness, what an incredible journey it’s been. I spent four of those years running around like a headless chicken trying to figure out how to break into the industry, struggling with credit card debt and taking any job I could.”
Then, of course, he found success through Kim’s Convenience and Shang-Chi.
He adds, “I know luck has played a substantial role in my successes but I am sure that if I hadn’t been cast in two life-changing roles, I’d still find purpose and meaning in the pursuit of success on my own terms. Not my parents’ definition – MINE. I don’t know who needs to hear this right now, but no amount of money is worth compromising your vision for yourself. The pursuit of a dream- YOUR dream- against all odds… that’s what life is all about.”
Liu ends by thanking the boss who fired him. He shared, “To Paul Gibbon and the offices of Deloitte Toronto; sincerely, honestly, THANK YOU. You did for me what I never had the courage to do myself; you destroyed a life that I was building for someone else, so that I could finally begin to build a life for me.”
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