Simu Liu is helping make sure the home of the Golden State Warriors is a welcome home for everyone.
The actor, best known for starring as the titular superhero in the Marvel Studios film “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” — which is partly based in San Francisco — and the Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience,” visited Chase Center on Monday night for the unveiling of its renovated sensory room — a safe haven for guests feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated.
The upgraded room features carpeted walls, noise cancellation, special lighting, artwork, puzzles and games to help ease fans who are stressed from the venue's high energy environment.
Simu Liu stopped by today to dedicate the sensory and wellness room here at Chase Center.
The arena named the space the “Simu Liu Sensory Room” in honor of the actor, who donated funds to renovate the room which originally debuted in 2019.
“Pretty neat. It's simple. It's perfect,” Liu told reporters. “What an incredible opportunity that we've given so many fans that ordinarily would have only dreamt of coming to Chase Center to watch the Golden State Warriors play.”
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Rooms such as the one at Chase Center are especially necessary at sports events like NBA games, which are filled with loud crowds and music blasting from the speakers, combined with bright lights and other visual stimuli.
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“There's an overstimulation of the senses and sometimes you just need a place that's nice and quiet and it's as simple as just coming here for a few minutes, calming down, looking at some of the lights and taking a breath and taking a moment,” Liu said.
The 33-year-old in September opened up about his own mental health struggles in the wake of his rise to stardom following the release of Shang-Chi. He wrote on Instagram that he became “SO obsessed with the idea of taking up space and representing for my community that I worked nearly myself to exhaustion” and that something had to “change moving forward.”
“Obviously it goes without saying that I've really come to understand the importance of mental health and looking after one's mental health,” Liu said on Monday. “It starts with something as simple as burnout and then it can spiral quickly into feelings of anxiety, feelings of depression. For some people, the solution to those ailments and those issues is as simple as seeing somebody, seeking professional help and getting therapy. And that's what I did and it was immensely helpful.”
Liu made the appearance in partnership with KultureCity, a nonprofit advocating for acceptance of individuals with "invisible disabilities." The organization works with an assortment of celebrities in addition to Liu, including basketball Hall-of-Famer Dominique Wilkins, musician Jason Isbell, actor Randall Park and comedian Ken Jeong.
Prior to the tip off of the Warriors’ matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Liu rang the ceremonial cable car bell at midcourt, an arena tradition done before every game.
