TV’s hottest Asian-Canadian, Simu Liu, just got a whole lot sexier as he announces his new partnership with Old Spice as their first ever Canadian Brand Ambassador. Does this mean we get to see more of him with his shirt off? Yes, absolutely yes!
This week I got to interview Simu Liu, who plays the role of Jung on the popular CBC comedy ‘Kim’s Convenience’. We chatted about everything from the Toronto Raptors parade to masculinity to, of course, Old Spice – the manliest grooming brand on earth.
Hope you all enjoy this interview!
xoxo
-Grayce
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Hi Simu,
Thanks for chatting with us today! You must be super busy with your filming schedule so I really appreciate your time. Congratulations on becoming the first ever Canadian Brand Ambassador for Old Spice! What do you plan to do with this new platform?
It was an incredible honour when they reached out. Personally I thought there could not be a better marriage between a brand and an ambassador. To show that people like me can be an ambassador for these brands is such an honour. Putting myself in situations where I can break stereotypes.
Old Spice wants to help men find their “scents” of adventure. Can you tell us about an adventure you’ve had recently?
The Toronto Raptors parade. It was nuts! Jeremy [Lin] who is a really good friend of mine knew how much this meant to me and somehow got me on the float. It was nuts! We all met at the OVO practice center and I was just having breakfast with these NBA players and then we all split off into our buses. The parade itself was so crazy – they had put out these barriers but people were jumping over them and onto the parade route so the police had to carve out a path for our buses. We were going slower than people walking. The real adventure began when I had to be at work later that day. When we got to Nathan Phillips Square, I made sure Jeremy’s family was all seated and then booked it out of there to get an Uber to work to film my scenes. Thankfully I made it there in time and gained the respect of my cast and crew for being part of the parade.
It was such a hot day! I bet you were happy to be wearing your Old Spice then!
Yes, totally!
I had the vision to start something like this. Thanks to my partner, Clem, who runs CCYAA, we were able to put this together. In terms of practicing for the game, when Jeremy was here, his trainer and I were practicing and he showed me some moves. I look forward to busting out some moves, though whether I’ll be able to execute them like a pro is another story. Jeremy Lin’s trainer, by the way, is very good at basketball. He beat me 11-0 every time we played so I kept asking him to play so that I could score one point. I figure for me to be able to get even one point on him is like winning so when I finally did, it was the best feeling ever.
Who do you think will be your biggest competitors?
The way we have the teams constructed, I feel like it would be the Fung Bros! They are YouTubers who do food and lifestyle and they have some videos on basketball as well. I have it on good authority that they have some skills on the court.
Let’s talk about Old Spice Fresher Scent! How important is it to you to know that the products you use are made with real ingredients?
It’s really important that, we, as men start to embrace this attitude where we care about our bodies. It’s important that we’re more aware of how we take care of our skin and how we make sure we feel our best. Men should really be taking care of themselves the same as women do. Men should have access to products that make their skin feel great. The use of real ingredients just elevates the product into the stratosphere of where women’s products are today.
Are you wearing Old Spice now and if so, what scent are you wearing?
I just got out of the shower so I smell like my body wash [Old Spice] Volcano Charcoal and my deodorant is Timber with Sandalwood.
Is that your favourite scent?
This may sound cliché but I actually like all of them! There is one in particular that we’re releasing next month though – that one is my favourite. You’ll have to stay tuned!
Would you ever create your own scent?
You know, someone actually asked me that recently and I never thought about it until now. Though I think if I were to make my own scent, it would be a bunch of things combined together so I’ll just leave it to the professionals for now.
If you were to create one, what would inspire you?
If there was a fragrance that could remind you of your favourite place in the whole world that would definitely be it. I love Hawaii and the ocean breeze with a hint of citrus and palm trees. The smell of vacation.
Yum! It sounds like it needs some pina colada in there as well!
Oh yes, absolutely! I feel like anyone that doesn’t like the smell of pina coladas just hates fun.
It’s never about how desirable you are to women, it’s about how the products make you feel and how you feel to yourself.
Old Spice’s motto is “the manliest grooming brand on earth” – what does being manly mean to you?
Masculinity is a very loaded word. I want to clarify that masculinity does not need to mean chest puffing macho – we’re not trying to sell this image. It’s about being fun, having confidence in yourself. It’s never about how desirable you are to women, it’s about how the products make you feel and how you feel to yourself. How masculinity is perceived in the past is not working for us, masculinity should be about being vulnerable and self aware but doing it in a way that makes you feel good and not worrying too much.
Well those are all the questions I have for you, Simu! Thank you so much for chatting with us today – I’m so happy to see you doing well in your career. It’s so great to see Asian [Canadian] represented on television. Best of luck with the filming of season 4 of Kim’s Convenience!
