IMDb revealed exclusively to Collider that today, in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, they are honoring actor Simu Liu with a 'Fan Favorite' STARmeter Award. The trophy is awarded to several celebrities throughout the year, and the recipient’s popularity is measured through the IMDbPro rankings chart, which tracks actors most searched by hundreds of millions of IMDb users all over the world. Now that the secret is out, we can also reveal that Liu himself recorded an emotional thank-you message that you can check out at the end of this article.
Liu rose to prominence after playing the title character in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021. The breakout star made history as the first actor of Asian heritage to lead a major blockbuster super-hero film. Liu is already confirmed to reprise his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Shang-Chi 2. Meanwhile, the actor is attached to join the cast of dramedy One True Loves, which is set to premiere later this year, and the Barbie movie, which is currently filming in London.
The actor took a little time in the land of the Queen to film a thank-you video with the STARmeter in his hands. In the video, Liu looks back at his very first IMDb entry, which was his minor role in an episode of The CW’s Nikita, and he reveals he was extremely nervous to be in the presence of Shane West. Liu’s first major role in a series came four years later, when he joined the cast of Canadian comedy Kim’s Convenience.
In addition to the video, Liu released an official statement in which he thanked his fans and celebrated the works of Asian and Pacific Islander filmmakers that have greatly inspired him throughout his career:
“I am so incredibly grateful to receive the IMDb STARmeter Award – this is truly an honor. It feels like just yesterday that I got my first IMDb credit but almost 10 years later I’ve been fortunate enough to help bring some incredible movies and TV shows to life. I really couldn’t be happier to receive this award – thank you to IMDb and to all the fans for checking out my IMDb and IMDbPro pages.
We’re living in a very exciting time for Asian and Pacific Islander filmmakers. Even five years ago the industry landscape was very different; the opportunities did not exist to cultivate the richness of storytelling that we’re seeing today in Lee Isaac Chung, Lulu Wang, Justin Chon, Kogonada, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jon Chu, James Wan, Justin Lin, and so many others. Films such as ‘The Farewell’, ‘Minari’, and ‘After Yang’ shine an honest light on the Asian American experience, one that is often overlooked in Hollywood. I’ve been personally inspired by these films to be a champion of our stories and to help amplify the important voices in our community.”
The STARmeter Awards recognize popular actors in categories like “Fan Favorite” and “Breakout Star” based on user’s searches. The very first recipient of the award was Salma Hayek (Eternals), and ever since then, the growing list of recipients has expanded to include Ben Barnes (Shadow and Bone), Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), Priyanka Chopra Jones (Baywatch), Riz Ahmed (The Sound of Metal), and many others.
“Simu Liu has captivated audiences around the world with his powerful and compelling performances in a broad range of roles and films, and fans and professionals have turned to IMDb and IMDbPro to learn more about him,” said Nikki Santoro, IMDb chief operating officer. “As we celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on IMDb, we are thrilled to highlight Simu and his career with an IMDb STARmeter Award, and we can’t wait to see the characters and projects he’ll take on next.”
You can watch Simu Liu’s acceptance video below:
