Simu Liu Says It's Time For Kids Of Immigrants To 'Cause A Ruckus' & Show They Belong

Simu Liu has some strong words for children of immigrants and the idea that you're supposed to not cause a fuss.

In an interview with Piya Chattopadhyay for CBC'sThe Sunday Magazine, the Canadian actor got candid when asked about the idea that "the good immigrant" is one that's just grateful to be here and how he deals with that perspective.

"There is an element of "put your head down; be grateful," Liu admitted, which he also details in his recently released memoir We Were Dreamers. "And my parents said this very clearly to me; they were like, "Nobody asked us to be here," you know?"

He also said that being raised in Canada perhaps gives him a different mindset than his parents who moved to Kingston, Ontario from Harbin, China when they were young adults to attend Queen's University.

"With us, it's different because we grew up here," he explained. "This is our home and we deserve to be here every bit as much as anybody else, you know?"

"And so with all of the reverence in the world for everything that my parents went through, I demand more for myself."

He also said that immigrants and kids of immigrants do not deserve "the prejudice and discrimination" that's a part of their reality.

"And, you know, we also are in a position where we can really speak up about it," Liu shared. "And that might run counter to a lot of the way that our parents raised us and programmed us, right? The tall weeds are the ones that get cut. Keep your head down. Don't cause a ruckus."

The time for that kind of mentality is over for children of immigrants, according to Liu.

"But I'm kind of feeling like, in our generation, we've got to cause a ruckus," he said. "Otherwise, we'll just be stuck in this state of not really belonging forever."

"We need to carve out a path for us. We need to build out a home. And we need to show the world that we belong."

Liu can likely be considered as someone that is showing the world that children of immigrants belong given his massive successes in Kim's Convenience and as Shang Chi.

He's also presented at the Oscars, hosted the JUNOS and Saturday Night Live, just to name a few of his accolades.

Liu is currently on tour for his book and has upcoming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston following his appearances in Philadelphia, New York and Toronto.