Today, he is known for playing Shang-Chi. But, ten years ago, Simu Liu was let go from a position as an accountant at Deloitte.
He acknowledges being fired from Deloitte every April 12th, but this year was special, as it marked the tenth anniversary of being let go.
Simu Liu marks April 12th with an inspiring post
Simu took to Instagram to tell his story of the day that changed the path of his life.
“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,” he began.
He continued, “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.”
He detailed how, at the time of the layoff, he felt devastated and like he had wasted his family’s time and investments into him.
Simu noted that he gets “introspective” every April 12th, but that this one was special because it was the tenth year anniversary of being let go from Deloitte.
He then reflected on the “10,000 hours” argument that author Malcolm Gladwell makes in his book Outliers, which states that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become great at something.
“I know some of you have read Gladwell, and man was his prediction on point,” Simu wrote. “Ten years or 10,000 hours. My goodness, what an incredible journey it’s been.”
He then detailed how he spent four years trying to figure out how to break into the industry and was struggling financially.
He also encouraged his followers to pursue their dreams. He said that he knows luck played a part in his success, but he believes he still would have found meaning and purpose on his own terms.
He concluded the post, “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. Happy April 12th, Instagram.”
Simu Liu career
Simu got his start by working as an extra and stuntman on films.
His first breakthrough came in 2015, when he was cast in the crime drama series Blood and Water.
Later in 2015, Simu was cast as Jung Kim in Kim’s Convenience.
In 2019, Disney announced that Simu would play Shang-Chi, the first Asian Marvel superhero.