Simu Liu has a new hairstyle for the new year, but he’s nervous about how at least one person will react to it. The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star just posted a new selfie on Instagram with his hair bleached blond. He self-consciously captioned the picture: “Sorry ma pls don’t kill me.”
Liu had his hair dyed so that the roots remain black while a few inches beyond that are a bright contrasting blonde. He had his new hair styled to drape down in strategic disarray, and he left his eyebrows and facial stubble their natural color. He posed shirtless for the pic, holding up a peace sign with his other hand and giving the camera a blank stare. Most fans seemed to love the change, but they couldn’t help speculating about what it meant for his professional career.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Back in [high school], my mom told me only [hooligans] did their hair like this. G’luck getting her to add you back into the We Chat group!” wrote writer and director Philip Wang. Actress Olivia Munn added: “The 90s really are back,” while actor Tim Chantarangsu commented: “Oh my boy went CHUCKIE AKENZ with it!”
Fans had a field day in the comments as well. One referred to Liu as “Shang-Chad” and was rewarded with over 600 likes on their comment. Another wrote: “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Frosted Tips?” However, a fair number of comments were positive, with heart-eyes emojis sprinkled in for good measure.
Of course, there was plenty of speculation about whether this new look was for a role that Liu might be filming soon. If not, fans wondered whether this dye job would conflict with any of Liu’s upcoming acting plans. It’s not uncommon for actors to have dyed hair, tattoos, piercings or other personal appearance preferences covered up on camera, but that never stops fans from theorizing.
Liu has two upcoming projects listed on his IMDb page, but both are in post-production, so filming should be finished in theory. The first is a romantic comedy called One True Loves, where Liu is caught in a love triangle with Phillipa Soo and Luke Bracey. It is due out by the end of this year. The other is Arthur the King, a drama about an adventure racer and his adopted dog. It does not have a release date yet.
Of course, fans assume that Liu will be doing more work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the months and years to come. Shang-Chi has been greenlit for a sequel and a TV spinoff, and there are plenty of other MCU movies and shows coming up where Liu’s character could make a surprise appearance. Whether he will do so with blond hair remains to be seen. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is streaming now on Disney+.
