LUCY LIU 'Nothing Was Going to Stop Me'

THE ACTRESS TALKS ABOUT FINDING SUCCESS AGAINST THE ODDS, INSPIRING A NEW GENERATION AND WHAT'S NEXT  

- SCOTT HUVER

She’s been working in Hollywood for more than 25 years—so it may seem like Lucy Liu’s place in the public eye was always assured. But the actress, now starring as the villainous deity Kalypso in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, says it hasn’t always been easy. “I’ve had to fight for roles,” says Liu, 54. “I’ve always had to go in against all odds.”

Raised in Queens by Chinese immigrant parents, Liu was determined at an early age to become an actress. “To me, the world was always open, and I never saw a ceiling, just bumps in the road. Nothing was going to stop me,” she says. Through her determination and talent, she built an impressive career with roles on TV shows like Ally McBeal and Elementary and in films such as Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and the Kung Fu Panda franchise. She was also the first Asian woman to host Saturday Night Live (in 2000) and in 2019 became only the second Asian American woman to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (after Anna May Wong).

A new generation of stars has cited her as an inspiration, including Gemma Chan, Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina, who has said watching Liu in Charlie’s Angels “changed my life. I’d never seen an Asian American actress kick ass onscreen before. It was a big deal to me.”