'Barbie' star Simu Liu says waxing for the movie was 'one of the most painful experiences of my life'

• Simu Liu said he waxed almost all of his hair off for his role in the movie "Barbie."
• He said that it was "one of the most painful experiences of my life."

Simu Liu admitted that waxing his body hair for the new "Barbie" movie was "one of the most painful experiences of my life."

Liu, who recently was named one of Time's 100 most influential people of 2022, stars in the upcoming movie directed by Greta Gerwig. A lot of the movie has been kept secret, apart from the star-studded cast that includes Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling playing the roles of Barbie and Ken.

While Liu did not reveal any plot details in his interview with the Independent, he did say that he had to get rid of almost all of his body hair for the movie, apart from the hair on his head.

"Waxing has been an education, to say the least," the actor said. "It was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I have such a newfound admiration for the incredibly brave women who go through this on a monthly basis."

Liu also said that he is enjoying the internet buzz surrounding the movie. Many fans are excited to see the movie despite only one set photo being released so far.

—Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) April 26, 2022

"Honestly, the discourse online is giving me life," Liu said. "With every casting announcement or bit of news, they're like: 'What is this?' And that's perfect – the less you know about it the better."

The New York Times pop culture reporter Kyle Buchanan tweeted earlier this month that he heard a rumor that Liu and Ncuti Gatwa will be playing alternative versions of Ken in the movie. Likewise, he said that Issa Rae and Hari Nef will be playing different versions of Barbie.

Also earlier this month, Liu told GQ that he auditioned for "Barbie" after an agent persuaded him by saying it's one of the best scripts he's ever read.

"He literally said this verbatim," Liu recalled. "He was like, 'If I could stake my career on any one script, it's the "Barbie" script. I really think you should do it.'"

"Barbie," which premieres in theaters in July 2023, also stars "SNL" comedian Kate McKinnon and three actors from Netflix's "Sex Education" — Gatwa, Emma Mackey, and Connor Swindells.