Though he famously portrayed Marvel superhero Xu Shang-Chi — a deadly assassin and heir to the Ten Rings terrorist organization — to lucrative success and great critical acclaim, in real life Simu Liu is an affable actor who bears little resemblance to a trained killer. But he does now have a supervillain-worthy lair in Los Angeles, of which Shang-Chi would likely approve. The 32-year-old dropped exactly $5 million on the aggressively contemporary Hollywood Hills mansion, which sits high atop L.A.’s fabled Mount Olympus neighborhood.
Completely rebuilt in 2016 and last sold in 2018 for $4.7 million, the 4,700-square-foot house is described as a “sexy architectural” in the listing. Sited on a knoll-top corner lot and behind big gates, the blocky structure sports an open floorplan awash in natural light and includes those big views for which the Hollywood Hills are renowned.
Highlights aren’t limited to a glass-fronted attached garage with room for two cars, a double-height foyer and a sleek, chic kitchen outfitted with top-of-the-line Miele appliances and leathered stone countertops. Inside and out, the house is done up in a monolithic motif of grays and whites, which may turn off fans of bright color pops but could easily be altered with a few cans of Benjamin Moore paint. Floor-to-ceiling walls of glass flood the entire place with light, banishing any dark and depressing corners.
All five of the home’s bedrooms have their own ensuite baths. In a somewhat unusual floorplan, all but one of the bedrooms are located on the ground floor, while the public rooms — the family, dining and living areas — are located on the upper level, immediately up the staircase that graces the entry. Also upstairs is the primary bedroom suite, which is more akin to a spa-like retreat with a private sitting area, balcony with potted outdoor plants, dressing room/closet with bespoke cabinetry and a large bathroom with dual sinks, rainfall showerhead and built-in soaking tub.
The 0.3-acre lot isn’t particularly big, but it is very nicely landscaped with native, drought-tolerant plantings. Out back, the mostly flat yard features a stamped-concrete patio with firepit and a swimming pool with an inset spa and Baja sunbathing shelf. There’s also an outdoor BBQ center and a relatively generous patch of grassy lawn.
Born in Mainland China in the late 1980s, Liu emigrated with his family to Canada in the mid ’90s. In 2011, he graduated with a business degree from the University of Western Ontario, just before the bright lights and lure of Hollywood stardom brought him to Tinseltown. Liu found work mainly as a stuntman and background extra for many years before starring in the Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience” and in a bit-part role in “Fresh Off the Boat.” But it wasn’t until this year that he earned widespread recognition and acclaim with the release of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which has grossed over $430 million worldwide and boasts a 92% “certified fresh” tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Some of Liu’s nearest new Mount Olympus neighbors include Jeremy Piven, NBA baller Thomas Bryant and “The Good Place” star Jameela Jamil.
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Image Credit: Redfin -
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Image Credit: Redfin -
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Image Credit: Redfin