Simu Liu Addresses Whether He Will Star in 'Kim's Convenience' Spinoff

Simu Liu has addressed whether or not he will make an appearance in the upcoming Kim's Convenience spinoff, Strays. In a lengthy Facebook post, the actor commented on the new series reports, explaining how he did not want Kim's Convenience to end but believed the cast and crew "deserved better." Liu then went on to speak about Strays, which will follow Nicole Power's character Shannon, making it clear that, while happy for his former co-star, he has no plans to star in the show.

"The producers of the show are indeed spinning off a new show from the Shannon character," Liu stated, then adding that the news "been difficult" for him to understand. "I love and am proud of Nicole, and I want the show to succeed for her," he continued, "but I remain resentful of all of the circumstances that led to the one non-Asian character getting her own show. And not that they would ever ask, but I will adamantly refuse to reprise my role in any capacity."

It has been speculated that Liu's budding film career was a factor in the decision to end Kim's Convenience, but he denies those rumors. "This could not be further from the truth. I love this show and everything it stood for. I saw firsthand how profoundly it impacted families and brought people together. It's truly SO RARE for a show today to have such an impact on people, and I wanted very badly to make the schedules work." Liu is starring as the title character in Marvel's upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which opens in theaters this September.

The actor went on to share that, while he did not want Kim's Convenience to end, he had been "growing increasingly frustrated" with the way his character, Jung, "was being portrayed and, somewhat related, was also increasingly frustrated with the way I was being treated." Liu wanted more room to offer input on his character's direction, but "we were often told of the next seasons' plans mere days before we were set to start shooting." He added, "There was deliberately not a lot of leeway given to us."

Liu also provided some perspective on other things happening behind the scenes of Kim's Convenience, saying that the cast was "paid an absolute horsepoop rate" and that the show's writing staff lacked "both East Asian and female representation." Additionally, he shared that there were cast disputes that led to issues. "I probably said and did things that were stupid and not helpful," Liu said.

Finally, the actor concluded his statement by thank fans for their support over the years. "I still believe in what the show once stood for; a shining example of what can happen when the gates come down and minorities are given a chance to shine." Fans can now stream all five seasons of Kim's Convenience on Netflix.