Hollywood actor Simu Liu faced significant challenges while working on the sets of the new series ‘The Copenhagen Test’.
The ‘Shang-Chi’ star, at 36 years old, disclosed that he performed many of his own stunts in this espionage thriller. In the series, he portrays a Chinese-American intelligence analyst caught between his secretive agency and unknown hackers, as reported by People magazine.
Liu mentioned, “I got kicked in the face. Yeah. Many, many, many times.” He acknowledged the efforts of the “phenomenal” stunt coordinators James and Chris Mark, who strived to ensure safety on set. However, he noted that there is always an element of “risk” involved in stunt work.
“When you’re doing fight scenes or running full speed through a hallway and you gotta blast through three people or whatever it is, stuff’s gonna happen. Stuff’s gonna go wrong. I remember I got … been kicked in the face, been thrown against things, and things like that (on the set),” he elaborated.
According to People, Liu clarified that while some actors opt out of performing their own stunts to avoid injuries—and there’s “nothing inherently wrong with that”—it can lead to complications during post-production because editors have limited angles to work with. Some shots featuring a stunt double may not effectively sell the scene.
On the flip side, the ‘Barbie’ actor stated that when actors do their own stunts, it allows editors “infinite more optionality in terms of where to cut and when.”
He confessed that he thrives on the challenge of action work. “Here’s the thing, probably to my own detriment, I’m way too competitive of a guy. And I think ever since I was 4 years old, if I see someone doing something and I think I could do it just as good or better. I always, I’m like, ‘Great. Look, get me in there. I want in’,” he shared.