Malia Obama has been caught in a photo giving her sister a tongue-in-cheek thumbs-up as Sasha met Ryan Reynolds at a state dinner.
The actor, who was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, was one of four actors and actresses who attended the event in honor of new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday.
Malia, 17, and Sasha, 14, attended a state dinner for the first time in their father’s presidency.
Sasha was beaming when she met Reynolds and can be seen in a photo smiling excitedly as they spoke.
In the background, slightly blurred, Malia is smiling too – all the while raising her two thumbs in direction of her sister, seemingly cheering her on and teasing her at the same time.
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Malia Obama appears in the background of this picture, seemingly giving her sister a sarcastic thumbs-up as Sasha meets Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds at a state dinner on Thursday
‘Whenever you’re scared to do something, just imagine Malia Obama behind you, giving you two thumbs up,’ journalist Caitlin Abber wrote.
‘Malia giving Sasha a thumbs up while talking to Ryan Reynolds is everything,’ said another user, Amelia Williams.
Journalist Ian Sherwood called the photo adorable. Editor Anna James wrote: ‘Malia giving Sasha a thumbs up as she talks to Ryan Reynolds is my new favorite thing.’
Reynolds went to Thursday’s dinner with his wife of three and a half years, actress Blake Lively. He was one of several stars who joined a cohort of government officials at the White House.
Canadian actors Mike Myers and Michael J Fox (who has dual citizenship with the US) and actress Sandra Oh were on the guest list too.
Lorne Michaels, who created and still produces Saturday Night Live and was born in Toronto, attended as well.
American singer Sara Bareilles performed for the guests.
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Malia, 17, sat next to actress Sandra Oh during the event in honor of new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It was the first time that she and Sasha attended a state dinner
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Sasha, 14, sat at the same table as actress Blake Lively, Reynolds’s wife. Trudeau praised the Obama girls and said they’d had a ‘remarkable childhood’, adding: ‘That will give you extraordinary strength and wisdom beyond your years for the rest of your life’
Malia, who wore a beige strapless Naeem Khan gown with a $17,990 price tag, sat next to Sandra Oh.
Sasha opted for a high-necked chic semi-sheer black Naeem Khan dress worth $19,990 and sat at Blake Lively’s table.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose father Pierre, was the Prime Minister of Canada when he was born and until he was eight, paid tribute to the Obama girls during his speech.
They were just ten and seven when their father became the President and have grown up in the spotlight for the past seven years.
‘The memories for me of being a kid and not being old enough to attend these kinds of events with my father almost makes me wish I had gone through my teenage years as the child of a world leader,’ Trudeau said.
He praised the girls and said they’d had a ‘remarkable childhood’, adding: ‘That will give you extraordinary strength and wisdom beyond your years for the rest of your life.’
Obama said he and his wife Michelle would remain in Washington, DC for a little while after his presidency ends so that Sasha can finish high school.
Malia, who is in her final year of secondary education, is expected to head off to college in the fall.
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Reynolds, who was born in Vancouver, attended Thursday’s dinner at the White House with his wife of three and a half years, actress Blake Lively (pictured)
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Twitter users reacted to the photo, most of them praising Malia’s humorous gesture. Journalist Caitlin Abber wrote: ‘Whenever you’re scared to do something, just imagine Malia Obama behind you, giving you two thumbs up’
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Another user, Amelia Williams, said: ‘Malia giving Sasha a thumbs up while talking to Ryan Reynolds is everything.’ Reynolds was one of four Canadian actor and actresses who attended the dinner on Thursday
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Journalist Ian Sherwood said the photo of Malia giving Sasha two thumbs up was ‘adorable’. The White House’s guest list included Canadian actors Mike Myers and Michael J Fox (who has dual citizenship with the US) and actress Sandra Oh, as well as producer Lorne Michaels
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Editor Anna James said Malia’s tongue-in-cheek gesture was her now favorite thing. Sasha and Malia wore Naeem Khan gowns each worth almost $20,000 at the dinner
