Simu Liu, Star Of Marvel's 'Shang-Chi', Used To Be A Handsome Stock Photo Model

Actor Simu Liu has had a meteoric rise to fame in a short amount of time, rising from (relative) obscurity to the heights of Marvel superhero as he takes on the role of the title character in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It's an incredible opportunity for the actor, whose biggest role prior to Shang-Chi was a starring part in the long-running sitcom Kim's Convenience. Of course, such a quick rise to stardom means it was time for an old skeleton to come out of Liu's closet: his past as a stock photo model.

Me laughing at the people who thought we’d flop pic.twitter.com/7UoLqRXlCJ

— Simu Liu (刘思慕) (@SimuLiu) September 6, 2021

Prior to becoming the star of the biggest movie in America last weekend, Liu took a stock photo modeling gig. In his Instagram stories, he explained he took one job for $100 in 2014 but has seen the results everywhere in the last seven years.

The photos have floated around online for some time before Liu hit the big time, and he hasn't been shy about laughing about them.

Call @Alanis Morissette because I just died from irony. I did a stock photo shoot in 2014 and it ended up here. I used to be an accountant. pic.twitter.com/2spNQuG4MH

— Simu Liu (刘思慕) (@SimuLiu) February 22, 2017

This stock photos of Simu Liu are so funny help #$&@* pic.twitter.com/08bDdOY5kS

— carlos⩔ saw shang-chi! (@shangswilson) April 21, 2021

The release of Shang-Chi brought the stock photos to the forefront of the internet, where people had a good time reveling in the actor's humble origins.

new guy on my work team looks kinda familiar but i can’t place it pic.twitter.com/001JevX1Cl

— sin (@veiledloki) September 4, 2021

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/8LdcXGZKcA

— Ashley Naglieri (@AshleyNaglieri) September 6, 2021

SIMU LIU USED TO MODEL FOR STOCK IMAGES HELPP pic.twitter.com/jsxCnckhjA

— . (@magiksupreme) September 5, 2021

Liu is certainly not the first actor whose smaller gigs became public knowledge after he became famous: after all, perhaps nothing will top the time Aaron Paul was on The Price Is Right.