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.
Simu Liu supports Ryan Gosling after claims they locked head at ‘Barbie’ event— (Instagram)
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.
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.
