Lucy Liu has proved that she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She doesn't need a man to make her feel complete. Liu's a tough action queen in Charlie's Angels and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, and so much more. But Liu isn't just an actress anymore. She's an activist, a director, and, more recently, a successful single mother. She's accomplished all of this without a man by her side, but that doesn't mean her love life is a drought. She gets out, but we don't expect Liu to tie the knot anytime soon, if at all.
But that doesn't exactly explain the real reason why she has avoided having a man in her life to help raise her kids. Therefore, fans want to know everything they can about this talented woman and the reasons why she has made the choices that she has. Here's what we know...
Liu Has Dated But Never Tied The Knot
Liu may be unmarried, but her love life is not boring. She's been linked to a range of different men, including George Clooney and billionaire Noam Gottesman. In 2003, she also alluded to swinging both ways during an interview with Jane Magazine.
"I think people sometimes get the wrong impression when they're like, 'Oh, well, so-and-so was straight and then she was gay, and now she's straight again,' you know? But it's like, how many times do I have to kiss a woman before I'm gay? Everybody wants to label people," she said. "Sometimes you just fall in love with somebody, and you're really not thinking about what gender or whatever they happen to be. I think that if I happen to fall in love with a woman, everyone's going to make a big deal out of it. But if I happen to fall in love with a man, nobody cares."
Shortly after Liu caused a stir in the tabloids with her bisexual comments, she became engaged to writer/director Zach Helm. When that went south, she dated Will McCormack for three years between 2004 and 2007. In 2010, Liu began dating Gottesman, but that too ended after four years.
After Gottesman, Liu seemed to leave all men behind. Instead, she took on motherhood. In her mid-40s, Liu decided to use gestational surrogacy to welcome her son, Rockwell, in 2015. "Introducing the new little man in my life, my son Rockwell Lloyd Liu," Liu wrote on her Twitter.
Liu Doesn't Need A Man, She Has Her Son And Her Work To Occupy Her Time
Liu got some attention in the media for using gestational surrogacy. But at her age, a pregnancy would have been high risk. "I cried when he came out," Liu told People in 2020.
"I think 'How We Family' is about how we as a modern family are connecting now. Whether it’s your gay parents and you’re doing it that way, or you have a child that’s transgender, it’s more about how you love," Liu continued about her campaign with Tylenol. "I think that’s a really wonderful way to support non-traditional families and make what we are doing now what is tradition."
Even with her hectic schedule, Liu knew she wanted to be a mother, and she made it happen, even if people were shocked she didn't go down the traditional route of motherhood. "It just seemed like the right option for me because I was working and I didn’t know when I was going to be able to stop," Liu said on her decision to use gestational surrogacy. "I decided that was probably the best solution for me, and it turned out to be great."
"I didn’t realize how quickly babies progress," she continued. "Very basic things that you just take for granted. They’re just this little lump of flesh, and then all the sudden they’re turning around, they’re observing you and they’re smiling and they’re interacting. It’s a magical experience."
Liu told The Sydney Morning Herald that motherhood has changed her. "It's almost become this cellular feeling of connecting to the universe in a way where you understand the idea of the cycle of life and the responsibility of having another being who is a part of you but outside of yourself," she said. "It's a very different feeling to doing a project where you know you will finish and move on. This is a life-long decision that changes your life and prioritises things in a very positive way."
And her love life, post-motherhood? She's still as private as ever. "I've always been very private and I fly under the radar as much as possible," she said. "I do that in a very specific manner. I don't bring people I'm dating to any public event because it's a big responsibility that I'm not sure anyone wants.
"Your work is your legacy and you want to be able to do more each time, and change so you can continue to have some kind of value. You don't want people thinking of you as just someone who dated someone and getting distracted from your work."
So with everything that's going on with Liu right now, it doesn't seem like she has time for a man. Or maybe she does and just won't reveal anything. That's fair.