“I’m not rewarding that behaviour.”
Simu Liu is a little shook up after an altercation with professional autograph seekers.
Ryan Emberley / Getty Images for Disney
It all went down earlier this week when a group showed up to Simu’s book signing hoping to get his autograph — which they could, in turn, sell for a profit.
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While Simu doesn’t normally have an issue signing something, he says these autograph seekers were making his fans at the event uncomfortable and he wasn’t about “rewarding that behaviour.”
“Had a not great altercation at the end of my book event in Philly,” Simu later recounted on Twitter later that evening.
Had a not great altercation at the end of my book event in Philly.
Look, I’m trying to have a real moment with my audience. If you come to my events and harass me or make me or my fans uncomfortable, there’s no chance in hell I’m going to sign for you. Don’t cross that line.
@SimuLiu / Via Twitter: @SimuLiu
“If you come to my events and harass me or make me or my fans uncomfortable, there’s no chance in hell I’m going to sign for you. Don’t cross that line,” Simu tweeted.
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Simu explained that he was “trying to have a real moment with [his] audience” when the autograph seekers started to harass him, adding on Instagram that they became “aggressive and invasive.”
It appears that Simu’s refusal to sign an autograph upset the group, who proceeded to throw soda bottles at his car.
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Simu also shared a photo of the group in their vehicle, explaining that they “ran to their car to remove the front license plate” so that they couldn’t be identified.
Thankfully, someone was documenting the event so Simu will be able to file a report with authorities.
“Obviously everyone is fine but we’re just a bit shook that this could happen,” Simu wrote.
In a follow-up tweet, Simu added that at the end of the day “it was just a couple bottles of soda” but it signifies a larger problem within the industry — especially considering he’s had a “couple bad experiences” in a row where his personal space was “badly violated.”
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“It’s indicative of a really toxic culture of autograph seekers (not all, some) that are willing to cross personal boundaries just to make a buck,” Simu added.
@sydneygmcintyre Thank you so much 🙂 at the end of the day it was just a couple bottles of soda but it’s indicative of a really toxic culture of autograph seekers (not all, some) that are willing to cross personal boundaries just to make a buck. I’m not rewarding that behaviour.
@simuliu / Via Twitter: @SimuLiu
Hopefully Simu’s account of the unfortunate experience can make some change in the industry!
