Actress Poppy Liu, best known for playing blackjack dealer Kiki on the HBO comedy “Hacks,” drew attention this week after declaring that capitalism is “the greatest evil in the world” during a red-carpet interview at the premiere of the upcoming film “I Love Boosters.”
Ms. Liu made the remarks while responding to a question from Refinery29 about what bothers her most about capitalism.
“Capitalism is a system of evil that is oppressing all of us in a hamster race in which the majority of people cannot win,” she said. “Currency is made up. Credit is made up. Debt is made up. Why do people have student debt?”
“My rant is that capitalism is the greatest evil in the world,” she added. “Like, the people that are like, ’Oh, but like don’t you enjoy the nice things, blah, blah, blah?’ Yes, I do, and also I would be OK with it if it meant that more people in the world can live without oppression, like hello!”
The film, written and directed by Boots Riley, follows a group of shoplifters known as “the Boosters” who resell high-end clothing stolen from upscale stores at deeply discounted prices, set in a whimsical version of the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Liu plays Jianhu, a Chinese factory worker, alongside a cast that includes Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Eiza González, Demi Moore and LaKeith Stanfield.
Ms. Liu was born in Xi’an, China, and moved to Minnesota at age 2 while her father pursued a doctorate. She graduated from Colgate University in 2013 with a double major in women’s studies and theater. She is also a reproductive rights activist and a trained doula. In August 2024, she converted to Islam.
Ms. founded the production company Collective Sex, which focuses on projects involving gender and sexual identity, and in 2018 premiered the short film “Names of Women,” partly drawn from her personal experience with abortion.
In addition to “Hacks,” Ms. Liu has had roles in “His & Hers,” “No Good Deed,” “The Afterparty,” “Dead Ringers,” “iCarly” and “Better Call Saul.”
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