Simu Liu has spoken out about the embarrassing film circulating of him and Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling, in which Gosling appears to give him a harsh brush off.
In footage recorded from Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking new film’s Canadian press day at the end of June, which has just gone viral, the two actresses – both from Canada – are seen posing for photographs together.
For the photos, Marvel actor Liu has his arm around Gosling’s waist until Oscar candidate Gosling looks down and gently slips away, saying something quietly to his colleague as he signals with his hand.
‘Do you not want that? That’s too delicate?’ As Liu removes his arm, Gosling says, ‘Yeah, it’s a little bit.’
‘Fair enough,’ says Liu, as the two Kens strike an identical hands-in-pockets gesture.
On Thursday, Liu threw cold water on any notions of discomfort between them, implying that Gosling’s attitude had been in joke.
‘I’d beach off with this Kenadian again in a heartbeat,’ the 34-year-old wrote, making reference to their fun ‘beach you off’ exchange in Barbie on the beach as they square up to one another.
He added: ‘[Gosling] 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.’
Liu then shifted gears for the rest of his piece, bringing attention to the WGA and Sag-Aftra strikes that are now paralysing Hollywood.
‘Now let’s get back to the issues that matter, like supporting our striking actors and writers fighting for fair wages!’
Fans online were first captivated by the interaction between Liu and Gosling, presuming it was serious.
‘If this happened to me I’d go into hiding and never leave,’ cringed one person, while another wrote: ‘The second hand embarrassment from this is crippling.’
‘I’ve never felt this rejected seeing something since the 1st [sic] time I professed my feelings to a guy in middle school,’ shared someone else.
In Barbie, Liu plays one of multiple Kens with Ncuti Gatwa, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Scott Evans, with Gosling’s Beach Ken taking the lead against Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie, as he begins to doubt his status in Barbieland before eventually uncovering the patriarchy.
Barbie had a spectacular $300 million (£233 million) opening weekend last weekend, but its opening day competitor Oppenheimer also did well.
Fans have dubbed their head-to-head ‘Barbenheimer’ because of the enormous anticipation surrounding the two flicks.
Both films, however, received enthusiastic approval, with Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy even indicating he would be willing to appear in a future Barbie sequel.
Barbie (and Oppenheimer) is in cinemas now.
