Simu Liu has had a whirlwind couple of years after shooting to superstardom with two back-to-back box office hits.
Navigating fame hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but theBarbieactor, 34, tells PEOPLE in its 2023 Sexiest Man Alive issue (on stands now) that falling in love with hismarketing director girlfriend, Allison Hsu, 27, has helped bring a feeling of security over the last year.
“I think everyone knows the feeling of being in a situation where they’re not fully happy, and then all of a sudden for that to change … it’s such a breath of relief,” he says. “It’s this feeling of ‘Oh, right, it does exist.’ You start to feel like, okay, maybe I’ve just been conditioned to want something that doesn’t exist or I have unrealistic expectations.”
Simu Liu and Allison Hsu.Allison Hsu Instagram
Allison Hsu Instagram
The couple wentpublic with their romancelast fall, and “we’ve been tremendously happy,” says Liu. “I feel challenged and loved and cared for, andI feel championed. I think the best, healthiest relationships are ones whereyou have each other’s back, and I definitely feel like that’s the case.”
In the next decade, the Marvel star — who’s set to release an E.P. this month — sees himself starting a family while continuing to grow his career.
Simu Liu in downtown Los Angeles.Peter Yang
Peter Yang
“I definitely see kids in my future. I would be surprised if I was not a father 10 years from now,” says Liu. “I think you just hit that point in your life where it starts happening around you and all of your best friends that you grew up just shooting s— with and being delinquent kids with all of a sudden get to positions of responsibility and parenthood. You’re looking at these guys and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I never thought you would ever be responsible for another human life.'”
After finding a new level ofsuccess withShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsandBarbie, Liu hopes to help pave the way for others to continue breaking barriers.
“Now that I’ve climbed that first mountain, it’s like that vantage point is different. Now you can see other mountains or other goals that maybe you couldn’t before,” he says. “It’s a privilege for sure to be able to have the perspective to even be able to set out these objectives.”
One goal he has in mind is to build out a production company to “really highlight minority voices, and maybe even more specifically Asian American voices,” he adds.
source: people.com
