Simu Liu is speaking out against the growing push to use artificial intelligence in place of human performers, especially background actors, calling the idea “deeply misguided” and harmful to the creative ecosystem of filmmaking.
The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star recently criticised Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, who suggested that using AI extras could help lower film production costs, citing his own project, A24’s Marty Supreme. Liu was quick to clap back on X, writing, “Sure, blame the extras making 15–22 dollars an hour struggling to make a living and not the people making millions above the line.”
In a follow-up interview with Deadline while promoting Netflix’s upcoming animated film In Your Dreams, Liu elaborated on why O’Leary’s take struck a nerve. “That opinion was not only tone-deaf and out of touch but also just factually wrong,” he said. “The idea that movies are expensive because of background actors earning minimum wage — that’s simply not true.”
Liu’s frustration also stems from his own beginnings in the industry. Before leading Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, he worked as an extra on Pacific Rim shortly after being laid off from his accounting job. That experience, he said, was crucial to his understanding of the craft.
“This idea of replacing actors with AI—it’s so antithetical to my development as an actor,” Liu explained. “Being on set as a background performer was an invaluable learning experience. You observe, you learn the rhythm of production, and you understand how storytelling works visually. Taking that away means robbing others of the same opportunity.”
Beyond his personal connection, Liu made a broader plea for preserving the human essence in art. “Film is such an artist’s medium,” he said. “Of all the ways AI could be used, replacing art should never be one of them. Art is art because it’s human. Even the way extras move or react in the background contributes to the authenticity of a story. We can still tell when something isn’t human — it just doesn’t feel right.”
Fresh off the release of Last Breath, Simu Liu is working on Avengers: Doomsday, in which he will be reprising his role as Shang-Chi.
