Why Was Simu Liu FIRED as an Accountant? Shang-Chi Star Reveals Surprising Experience Before Acting Debut

Simu Liu may be a successful actor now, but his career started in a very different field. Before making it big in Hollywood, he worked as an accountant, until a decision led to him getting fired.

Written by Sakina Kaukawala , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Feb 26, 2025 | 05:33 PM IST | 5.8K

Simu Liu (via Getty Images)

Simu Liu may be a successful actor now, but his career started in a very different field. The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star recently joked about getting fired from his accounting job after just eight months. During an interview on the Today show on Februrary 25, host Craig Melvin asked if Liu’s friends still ask him for tax advice.

"I went to school for accounting, and I spent eight months working as [an accountant], and then I got fired," Liu said. He laughed and added, "So I'm like, 'Yeah, if you wanna go to jail for tax fraud, you can absolutely have me do your taxes. I would be happy to. However, they will not be done correctly.'"

Melvin asked Simu Liu why he was let go from his accounting position so quickly. Liu shared that he took a day off to be an extra in a movie but didn't tell anyone.

"I answered an ad on Craigslist to be an extra in a Guillermo del Toro movie [Pacific Rim], and I turned my phone off," Liu said.

"I thought no one was gonna look for me, and then I turned my phone back on at the end of the day and I had like 42 missed calls." Realizing the consequences, Liu admitted it was crazy and he was pretty sure he is not gonna be employed after that.

Before becoming an actor, Liu worked as an accountant at Deloitte, a major consulting firm. His parents, Zheng and Zhenning, were proud of his stable career. However, getting fired and deciding to pursue acting was not an easy transition.

In a 2022 interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Liu opened up about how difficult it was to break the news to his parents about losing his job.

He admitted that he tried to avoid the conversation, but he couldn't anymore when a national commercial he had starred in was about to air. Looking back, he said the discussion didn’t go well.

Liu is now a successful actor, with major roles in Shang-Chi, Barbie, and his latest movie, Last Breath. In the upcoming film, he stars alongside Woody Harrelson as a deep-sea diver trying to save a trapped colleague.