It’s become pretty commonplace for actors to get super ripped when they’re playing comic book characters. Chris Pratt lost a ton of weight to play Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy, while Paul Rudd also got swole for his Ant-Man shirtless scene. Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu gets praise for being Marvel fit, but if you ask him his diet’s pretty “lackadaisical.” Let’s break down what he shared about his fitness regimen.
Those of us who have been watching the Marvel movies in order are used to seeing major physical transformations from its stars. Like many other Marvel heroes before him, Liu put in the work to look absolutely massive during his debut in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. After all, he had an entire shirtless fight sequence. In a conversation with GQ, Simu Liu revealed that he’s actually not that disciplined when it comes to his diet. As he put it,
I’m sorry to say I’m not. I’m blessed with quite a fast metabolism and the rule of thumb that has kind of worked for me throughout the years is to always make sure I’m playing sports and sweating and that’ll allow you to be a little bit more lackadaisical with the diet.
There you have it. While Liu puts in a ton of work at the gym, it turns out that the diet part of fitness isn’t exactly his focus. Mostly because he’s been blessed with a quick metabolism, which allows him to function without the same intense diet as some of his superheroic peers. Lucky him.
Whatever system Simu Liu has going, it’s clearly working. Shang-Chi is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription, and shows him looking jacked as the title character. Later in that same interview with GQ, the Kim’s Convenience alum revealed that while his diet is relaxed, when he eats is more structured. As he put it,
I would say if there’s anything that I really participate in, it’s definitely fasting. I try to limit my eating to an 8-hour window and really keep midnight snacks to a minimum. I generally will only have a coffee in the morning and then my first meal will be lunch but it will be substantial. That’ll kind of start my eating interval. That’s probably the most disciplined I get with the diet.
Well, he lost me. While I take fitness as seriously as the next guy, It’s hard to keep my snacking under control. Maybe that’s the reason why Simu Liu looks like a superhero and I look like… me. That and the fact that his metabolism hasn’t slowed down yet. His relaxed diet was shown a she posted a collab with Cheetos on Instagram recently, check it out below:
Liu enjoys a Cheeto just like the rest of us, but he does stay super active. While he spends a ton of time at the gym while he’s in the midst of filming, he also moves his body during the off season. Specifically through playing sports with friends, as he shared:
I grew up an athlete, I was on my varsity volleyball, basketball and rugby teams. When I’m not on a movie, I actually much prefer sports to being in a gym and lifting weights. I put a home gym in my garage, which I use relatively infrequently, but I have a basketball net in my driveway, which I shoot hoops on every single day.
Whatever he’s doing is working. Shang-Chi helped make him a household name, and fans are eager to see Simu Liu return to that signature role in an upcoming Marvel movie. We’ll just have to see if that includes more shirtless fights, or if he covers up. But hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to see him back in the MCU.
The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is The Marvels on November 10th. Simu Liu is attached to a number of upcoming projects, and also played a significant role in Barbie. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.