Shang-Chi Star Calls Working With Tony Leung "A Master Class in Acting"

Tony Leung is one of the most decorated actors in all of Asia, and he'll end up making in Marvel debut later this week when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings finally hits theaters. As you might expect from a storied actor such as Leung, the earliest reviews applaud his efforts in the film, and in one recent promotional stop, Simu Liu says working with the actor was nothing sort of a "master class." Liu was taking part in a Ask Me Anything session on r/MarvelStudios when he was asked by one fan what it was like to work with Leung.

"Like a master class in acting every single day," Liu responded. "He is every bit as legendary as the legends say. What makes Tony so incredibly watchable is his stillness, his ability to convey such emotional colour with a single glance. For a newbie like me coming to set full of nervous energy, he really grounded me and forced me to be still and present."

The actor then joked, "Also, I just love that my job was to literally stare into Tony's eyes for hours at a time."

Earlier this month, Kevin Feige made similar comments. At the time, the Marvel Studios head said audiences "weren't ready" for what Leung brought to his role.

"We talked about Simu, but also talking about Tony Leung, you mention the family aspect of the movie which I still don't think people are quite ready for what Tony brings to this movie and what the relationship and how unique it is and how emotional this movie becomes," Feige teased to Marvel.com.

In the film, Leung plays Wenwu, the father of Liu's eponymous hero. Wenwu is loosely based on long-time Iron Man villain The Mandarin.

"Our version of the character is not The Mandarin in the way that people are expecting him to be," Writer David Callaham told Empire Magazine. "'The Mandarin' is a title that has been applied to him in the past by people that don't understand his culture. But he's a much deeper character than I think a lot of people would expect."

Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz, with Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Charles Newirth serving as executive producers. David Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton & Andrew Lanham wrote the screenplay for the film, which is currently set for release on September 3rd.

What other characters do you think will end up popping up in Shang-Chi? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!