John Cameron Mitchell as Mary Todd Lincoln and Simu Liu as Mary’s Teacher in “Oh, Mary!”
(Photo: Emilio Madrid)
Simu Liu is the kind of actor who prefers to step outside his comfort zone. For his breakout role in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021, he trained extensively in martial arts. To portray a Ken in the 2023 blockbuster Barbie, he took dance practice (and waxed his whole body!). Now he’s leaping all the way to the Lyceum Theatre. Liu makes his Broadway debut playing Mary’s Teacher in the Tony-winning play Oh, Mary! from February 3 through April 21. “I’m a firm believer in doing things that scare you,” he says. “So I wanted to take on something creatively hard and challenging.”
Not to mention totally hilarious. Since moving to Broadway in 2024, the Cole Escola-penned show that skewers the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, during the Civil War has continually made audiences guffaw in delight. And as Mary’s Teacher, Liu gets to mix things up with both the oft-drunken missus (John Cameron Mitchell) and the fed-up POTUS (John-Andrew Morrison). “There are a lot of really fun scenes,” he says. “And I love that there are historical elements in the play even though it could not be any less historical.” The day before flying to NYC to start rehearsals, Liu talked to Broadway.com.
How are you feeling leading up to your big Broadway moment?
I think a healthy mix of everything. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I feel some degree of nerves making my Broadway debut. There’s a lot of really scary things about the stage. But I’m also really, really excited for it. I’m truly still pinching myself that I even got here.
How did you get here?
I’ve been conspiring with my theater agent about what a Broadway debut would potentially look like. We’ve been offered things before; it didn’t quite feel like the right thing. And he was like, “Have you seen Oh, Mary?” I hadn’t, but I’d heard incredible things. The next time I was in New York, I went to see it and thought it was the greatest show ever. I specifically was blown away by the Mary’s Teacher role. So I met Cole and Sam [Pinkleton], the director, and I did some behind-the-scenes readings. A few days later, they offered me the part. I’m very hyper aware of, like, the Hollywood actor coming into Broadway and thinking that it’s anywhere near the same kind of skill set. But I’ve done independent theater in Canada—so even though that’s obviously very, very different from Broadway, it gave me a good baseline for at least knowing just how much of an undertaking theater is.
You didn’t want a break after filming Avengers: Doomsday?
So yeah, we’re all wrapped up on Doomsday. And it was a really cool, great experience. But I’ve never been the guy who rests on his laurels. I don’t think I’ve ever had the luxury of even thinking that was remotely a possibility for me and for someone who looks like me. So I do feel that, as an artist, there’s so much I haven’t done yet. To be given the opportunity to play this hunky romantic interest felt really juicy and fun. Cole wrote a really fantastic role.
At least you don’t have to do a lot of heavy physical prep for this role. Is that a relief?
Weirdly, no. For me, physical prep is a lot more straightforward and a lot easier than other kinds of prep. I’ve always felt very much in my body. But that’s not to say theater is non-physical. You can’t rely on a camera, and you can’t rely on a close up. All of you is visible to the audience at all times. There’s no way to cut around you. So even though there are no stunts, it’s very physical.
“I’ve never been the guy who rests on his laurels.” —Simu Liu
And unlike movies, you also don’t have to wait a year for the audience to see your work.
That’s a frustration I think all film actors feel systemically because there’s such a delay between the time of the performance and the time the audience actually gets to see it. And by then, it’s passed through directors and producers and editors. I’ve always very firmly believed that film and television are a directors’ medium above all else; actors are ultimately not the most important part of the storytelling. Whereas on stage, that power dynamic is very much inverted. We control the eye of the audience. We control the cadence of the dialogue and the pace.
While growing up in a suburb of Ontario, was theater at all part of your entertainment upbringing?
I would say that theater felt maybe less accessible for me growing up. I didn’t grow up in the industry and had no connections. My [Chinese] parents didn’t really understand much of English theater or the English language. So when I first got started, making minimum wage as an extra in Toronto seemed more available to me. [That’s how] I progressed in the screen world. Theater felt like it was more of an opaque kind of thing where I couldn’t quite see the way in. That being said, Kim’s Convenience—the sitcom that I was on for five years in Canada and became quite a hit around the world on Netflix—started as a one-act [Toronto] Fringe Festival play. Then it evolved into this Canadian success story that toured internationally and has continued to have a life. So there’s something really cool about that being the place where it all started.
As a Canadian, did you even learn about Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln in school?
You know, I can’t say that I knew anything really about their relationship, or obviously this relationship to the teacher! It’s going to be interesting to experience it.
Have you had a lot of conversations with John Cameron Mitchell to prep?
We’ve definitely talked, and we’re going to watch the show one more time before we get going. And I’m super excited about that. I look forward to learning from him because he’s such a Broadway legend.
Do you have a trick yet to prevent cracking up on stage?
If you see me looking away from the audience, you’ll know!
How about a pre-show ritual?
I don’t love the idea of psyching myself up alone in a room. I hope there’s something that we come up with collectively as a unit.
Thanks to Barbie, we know you can sing and dance too. Is a musical next?
I’ve always really wanted to be in a musical. I remember watching Les Misérables on stage, and then seeing the Hugh Jackman movie and being like, I want to do that so, so badly. I was unfortunately born to be a baritone, but I’m always keeping my eye out for it. It represents the ultimate challenge for an actor to be able to do that eight shows a week. So, yeah, I’m holding out hope that the right opportunity will come.
Last thing: Anything you can share about Avengers: Doomsday?
Sorry, no. I need a job!
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