Simu Liu responds to claims he clashed with Ryan Gosling at Barbie press event
A video of the seemingly tense moment surfaced online this week
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Simu Liu has reacted to claims that he locked horns with Ryan Gosling at a Barbie press event.
The Shang-Chi actor, who plays a version of Ken in Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster, was participating in a press day in Canada last month when the pair posed for photos alongside each other.
On Wednesday (26 July), a video surfaced online showing Liu innoccuously slipping his arm around Gosling’s waist while they posed together.
However, Gosling seemingly asked Liu to remove his arm, reportedly stating: “Don’t hold me there, man. I mean, do you want me to touch you like that?”
Liu replied: “Oh, it’s too tender? Fair enough.”
The video was shared online, with many jumping to the conclusion that the pair were engaged in some form of rivalry – so much so that Liu clocked on and responded to the claim on Instagram.
Sharing a smiley photo of himself alongside Gosling at the event on Instagram Stories, Liu wrote: “I'd beach off with this Kenadian again in a heartbeat. He is the best human in every way, especially when he jokes around with us on the carpet and on set, infecting all of us with his Kenergy.
He added: “Now let's get back to the issues that matter, like supporting our striking actors and writers fighting for fair wages!”
Liu was responding to the SAG-AFTRA strikes currently taking place in Hollywood.
The actors’ strike is currently in its second week after the 160,000 member-strong union voted to join striking writers who are fighting for better compensation and assurances that they will not lose work to artificial intelligence (AI), among other demands.
High-profile stars to have joined the picket line include Bryan Cranston, Jessica Chastain, Wendell Pierce, Steve buscemi, Michael Shannon, Brendan Fraser and BD Wong. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson donated a “record” seven-figure sum to help strikers.
Barbie was one of the last films whose stars, including Margot Robbie, were able to promote the film ahead of the strike. Warner Bros Pictures’s campaign has paid off – since its release on Friday (21 July), the film has made just shy of $500m (£385m) at the global box office.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
It’s on course to be the biggest film of the year, which would see it surpass the current champ, The Super Mario Bros Movie, whose $1.3bn (£1.06bn) makes it the 15th biggest film of all time.
Barbie is currently on a trajectory to exceed that amount, meaning it could feasibly rank as one of the 10 biggest films of all time.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments