Simu Liu did not like being compared to an Asian fan during a “celebrity look-a-like” segment at the NBA’s Celebrity All-Star game on Friday night.
“I had a great time but this wasn’t cool,” the “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” star, 33, tweeted in response to a side-by-side photo of him and the fan displayed on a jumbotron.
People on social media were also quick to criticize the look-a-like choice.
“‘Let’s pick random Asian dude’ smdh,” tweeted one fan, while another wrote, “This is so bad in many ways.”
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A third explained why the shoutout was problematic, noting, “The issue here is that they have no similar characteristics other than being Asian. Usually when they do this bit, there’s SOMETHING to connect. Haircut, beard, build, something. This is literally just playing into the ‘all Asians look alike’ stereotype.”
After the backlash started to mount, Liu again took to Twitter to clarify his initial tweet, placing the blame on the cameraperson and not the NBA.
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“to be perfectly clear the entire org and ops team surrounding all-star have been nothing but absolutely stellar to myself and all my friends,” the “One True Loves” actor tweeted on Saturday.
“this was just one person with a camera. and no disrespect to my man in the videotron either! he’s gorgeous we just don’t look alike.”
Page Six has reached out the actor’s reps and the NBA for comment, but did not immediately hear back in time for publication.
On Friday evening, Liu and Team Dwyane [Wade] took home the victory against Ryan Smith’s star-studded team.