Jimmy Liu

Liu was born in 2002 and grew up in Minsheng Community, Taipei.^[1][2] He began learning Taekwondo at the age of 6 and followed a rigorous daily routine as an athlete.^[3] He later earned a black belt and won in numerous local competitions.^[3][4] Liu developed an interest in films alongside his athletic pursuits and often visited the cinema in his neighborhood as a leisure activity.^[2] During his junior high school years, he began playing basketball and participated in school performances, ultimately deciding to quit Taekwondo at the age of 16.^[3][5]

Liu was discovered by an acting agency when he was in high school.^[6] Despite his parents' objections, he insisted in pursuing an acting career.^[5] Liu made his debut as a child actor, portraying the younger version of Wu Nien-hsuan's character in the 2020 television series Magic Moment [zh].^[7] He also had a minor role as the younger version of Sam Lin in the 2021 drama series We Best Love.^[7]

Liu received his breakthrough role as Wu Tsu-Wei, the clever but depressed son involved in a custody battle between Ruby Lin and Joseph Cheng's characters, in all three seasons of the 2021 Netflix mystery thriller series Light the Night.^[8][9] His performance and the series' popularity earned him widespread recognition in Taiwan.^[8][10] In the same year, Liu had a recurring role as Su Chun-chieh in the first season of the TVBS series Youngsters On Fire [zh].^[11] The following year, he made a cameo appearance as one of the deities in the sci-fi series Rainless Love in a Godless Land [zh] and had a minor role as the younger version of Chen Bolin's character in Disney+ legal drama series Small and Mighty.^[12][13]

In 2023, Liu secured a co-leading role in the American fantasy action comedy series American Born Chinese, alongside Michelle Yeoh and Daniel Wu, marking his first international role.^[4][14] He portrayed Sun Wei-Chen, the rebellious son of Sun Wukong (played by Wu), and performed most of his own action stunts.^[4] Liu's dynamic presence caught the attention of producers Destin Daniel Cretton and Melvin Mar, who discovered him through Light the Night and felt he was a perfect fit for the project.^[10][15] They invited him to join the auditions in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[15] He departed from the production of Youngsters On Fire in order to accommodate the filming schedule of American Born Chinese.^[7] Liu is currently enrolled at Hsing Wu University but has temporarily suspended his studies to focus on his acting career.^[7]