Oscar-nominated movie stars Mississauga’s Simu Liu and other famous Canadians

Simu Liu is going to be a bit busy the next couple of months being part of two of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious awards shows.

First up, the Hollywood star and Mississauga native will host the 2024 People’s Choice Awards, taking place Feb. 18 in Santa Monica, California.

Three weeks later, on March 10 in nearby Hollywood, the 34-year-old megastar might just be centre stage once again, this time as part of the 96th annual Academy Awards, more popularly known as the Oscars.

Liu’s latest film, Barbie, the summer 2023 blockbuster in which he co-starred with Canadian heartthrob Ryan Gosling (born in London, partially raised in Burlington), headliner Margot Robbie and Brampton’s Michael Cera, is one of 10 films nominated for Best Picture.

Oscar nominees were revealed early this morning.

The popular awards show will be hosted again by late-night personality Jimmy Kimmel, his fourth time running the stage.

Everything Everywhere All at Once swept last year’s Oscars with seven wins, including Best Picture.

Also up for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards are:

• American Fiction
• Anatomy of a Fall
  
• The Holdovers
  
• Killers of the Flower Moon
  
• Maestro
  
• Oppenheimer (nominated for 13 awards)
• Past Lives
  
• Poor Things
  
• The Zone of Interest

Meanwhile, Gosling, 43, who played the lead Ken opposite Robbie in Barbie, is one of five nominees this year for Best Supporting Actor.

He’s going up again Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction), Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon), Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer) and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things).

The cast of Barbie also includes A-listers like Will Farrell and Helen Mirren alongside pop singer Dua Lipa as mermaid Barbie, Issa Rae as president Barbie and Kate McKinnon as rock star Barbie.

The movie made headlines last summer over its hefty $100 million (U.S.) budget, with its decadent set reportedly contributing to a global shortage of pink paint.

Liu quickly vaulted to superstardom with Marvel’s 2021 mega-hit Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Since then, in addition to various movie roles, the Hollywood star has kept a hectic schedule with gigs that include numerous public appearances, celebrity sports events, giving it his best on Celebrity Jeopardy and hosting the Juno Awards, to name a few.

And he’s also up for another People’s Choice award this year for his role as one of the Kens in Barbie. The movie itself is nominated in two categories — Movie of the Year and Comedy Movie of the Year.

Liu won his first People’s Choice award, in the Action Movie Star category, two years ago for his leading role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Mississauga’s Simu Liu squared off with Ryan Gosling in the Barbie movie, also starring Margot Robbie.