A Chinese actress who has attracted backlash over her support for Hong Kong police has been appointed as a brand ambassador for high fashion brand Louis Vuitton.
The French fashion house announced the partnership with Liu Yifei, the star of Disney’s live-action “Mulan” film, on its Weibo account last Friday.
As the new face of Louis Vuitton, the Liu joins the likes of ambassadors including US actress Emma Stone and tennis champion Naomi Osaka.
Liu became the subject of controversy at the height of the Hong Kong protests in 2019, when the actress reposted a picture with the text “I support the Hong Kong police.”
Her comments prompted Hongkongers to call for a boycott of her then-unreleased “Mulan” film, with #BoycottMulan becoming a trending hashtag on Twitter at the time.
The actress was born in mainland China but moved to the US as a child. She reportedly beat out nearly 1,000 candidates for the film’s titular role, her casting celebrated by critics angered by Hollywood’s white-washing of characters.
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