Hong Kong-born Canadian actress Grace Chan has lodged a police report after a woman allegedly splashed her six-year-old son with "a cream-like substance" during a family outing.
The incident took place at a cinema in Admiralty, Hong Kong, on the afternoon of July 30 after the family watched Marvel's latest film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
According to reports, Chan's son accidentally kicked the back of a woman's seat during the screening.
Although the actress apologised at the time, the woman confronted the family after the movie ended and poured a cream-like liquid over the boy's head before walking away.
In an interview with Hong Kong media, Chan, 35, confirmed the incident and said the family had filed a police report.
Authorities have classified the case as common assault and are searching for a mainland Chinese woman believed to be involved.
The incident sparked online debate after a netizen accused Chan's three sons of being rowdy throughout the screening, claiming they talked loudly and screamed.
Meanwhile, another netizen who claimed to have been seated behind Chan defended the actress, saying her three sons were well-behaved throughout the screening.
Responding to the criticism, the former Miss Hong Kong winner – who's married to Hong Kong-American actor Kevin Cheng – apologised if her children had disturbed other moviegoers.
"If it really happened, then I definitely need to do better. I'll remind my children about how they should behave in public," she said, as quoted by HK01.
However, Chan maintained that no one had approached her family during the screening to ask them to lower their voices.
"I believe it's natural for children to get excited during thrilling scenes. But if we really did disrupt other people, we'll definitely pay more attention to our volume in the future," she added.
Chan said her son was initially shaken by the incident but has since calmed down.
She also urged the public to be kinder to children and not judge them too harshly.
"They are still so young. Whether they were right or wrong, there's always room for them to grow and change. Please give us a chance," she said.
