Simu Liu has clarified that he has nothing but love for his Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling, even if that viral video says otherwise. Fans have been quaking over footage from the film’s Canada premiere in June, where Simu, 34, and Ryan, 42, experienced a very awkward moment while standing next to each other on the carpet. As they posed for pictures together, Simu tried to wrap his arm around Ryan’s waist, which caused Ryan to reposition himself. The actors — who are both Canadian — then exchanged a few words in that cringy moment.
“Don’t hold me there, man. I mean, do you want me to touch you like that?” Ryan appeared to say to his co-star. “You don’t what – oh, it’s too tender? Fair enough,” Simu seemingly responded, as he laugh and took his arm off Ryan’s waist.
You asked for it! Here’s the full clip of Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu interacting on the #Barbie movie red carpet in Toronto 💕 The Kenmance is strong 💪 pic.twitter.com/D8uoWbCR0P
— Etalk (@etalkCTV) July 26, 2023
The pair continued taking pictures together and the moment went unnoticed — until over a month later, when the video began to circulate around the internet a few days after the movie was released. Fans called out the awkward exchange that Ryan and Simu had.
So, Simu decided to address the situation on his Instagram Story. The Marvel actor shared a photo of him and Ryan from the Barbie premiere in Canada, and emphasized the fact that he and Ryan get along just fine.
“I’d beach off with this Kenadian again in a heartbeat,” Simu wrote. “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. Now let’s get back to the issues that matter, like supporting our striking actors and writers fighting for fair wages!”
Ryan and Simu both play versions of Ken in the new Greta Gerwig movie. When Simu recently appeared on TODAY to promote the film, he talked about “Kenergy” and how he applied it in the movie. “I love the concept of Kenergy. It’s this male energy, but it’s very non-toxic — Kenergy doesn’t come at anyone else’s expense,” Simu explained. “Kenergy is one’s own individual peak, in terms of their own self-expression and their confidence.”
Simu also said that he loved doing the dance scenes in Barbie. “I have a bit of a background in dance, and as soon as I clicked into that part of me, all of a sudden I felt the Kenergy rising up within me,” he said. “I think once you put on that gold-and-white onesie, your hair is coiffed exactly the way you like it, and then the music starts playing and you’re in a choreographed dance sequence, you start to feel pretty good about yourself.”