Barbie: One Ken Requirement Left Simu Liu Feeling Like A Dolphin

A lot goes into perfecting one's body to be worthy of the titles of Barbie or Ken. Of course, dieting, exercising, and all of that healthy goodness was a necessity for the actors to achieve the picture-perfect bodies of a doll, but "Barbie" also required its stars, particularly the Kens of the world, to meet one requirement first and foremost: have absolutely no body hair. 

During an appearance on "Live with Kelly and Mark" before the release of "Barbie," Simu Liu revealed the extreme lengths the production went to maintain the accuracy of their on-screen dolls. "Just being Asian, we're not big on chest hair, but I've always had quite hairy legs. Then, one of the first things we were told, signing onto the 'Barbie' movie, was that dolls don't have body hair," the "Shang-Chi" star revealed as he showed off his newly waxed legs to the hosts and audience. 

While Liu initially seemed skeptical about the process, he's since come around to waxing his legs, even looking forward to seeing what he can do in the future with his now hairless limbs. "You know, it's kind of nice. I feel like a dolphin. I feel free," he said, stating the perks of having smooth legs, like cooler summers and instantly faster swim times.

It has its perks, but Simu Liu won't be adding waxing to his weekly routine. As he said in an interview with Allure, the Ken actors had to undergo plenty of procedures for their doll-like transformations in "Barbie," but having legs as smooth as butter is one thing Liu can live without.

"I had never been waxed before at that point, but I was told that it lasts a few weeks, which is good because it was one of the most painful experiences of my life, and I don't think I could do that on a weekly basis." Unfortunately for Liu, his leg hair started growing back, making a much worse second round necessary. He also revealed that some of the Kens got numerous spray tans, and while he didn't participate in that, every Ken needed daily body paint applied to give them the plastic doll-like look.

While he wasn't a big fan of the cosmetic procedures required to become Ken, Liu is thankful for the movie bringing out his inner Barbie, breaking down the imaginary barriers between genders in other ways. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he reflected on the color pink, which "Barbie" used so much that it caused an actual shortage, but also opened his eyes to a world he had pushed aside for so long. "As a boy that was raised, I think, at a time where colors were for some reason gendered, pink wasn't something that I had a lot of exposure to," he told the outlet. "I'm just so grateful that I got to explore my pink-ness and sit in that and own that, and now I love it."