Ryan Gosling: the man who could play anyone. From embodying Neil Armstrong to now taking on the iconic Ken, it seems like there’s no limit to the characters he can bring to life. In the upcoming Barbie film, numerous actors will portray Barbie’s oh-so-fashionable boyfriend, but director Greta Gerwig has disclosed that Gosling was the only one she couldn’t do without.
In a Rolling Stone interview, the Little Women director spilled the beans on why Gosling was her top choice for the Ken role, stating:
Well, it was only ever Ryan Gosling, and it was a long journey. Margot and I just wouldn’t take no for an answer.
From the moment that Margot came to me and I knew we were making this for Margot, I equally knew we were making this for Ryan. And I did not know Ryan at all. I’d never met him. I just was sure, and as soon as I thought of it, it made me so happy. Who else could do this? It’s some combination of Marlon Brando meets Gene Wilder meets John Barrymore meets John Travolta.
Greta Gerwig, known for her work on indie comedy films like Frances Ha and Lady Bird, was thoroughly impressed by Ryan Gosling’s commitment to the role of Ken as a comedic actor. She couldn’t help but shower praise on the 42-year-old actor, saying:
I’ve always thought of him as a secretly comedic actor. His comedy goes back to taking it incredibly seriously as an actor, where he never is doing it just for the laugh. And the way we talked about Ken was as in-depth character work as I’ve ever done with anyone about anything.
Ryan Gosling has been low-key since First Man in 2018, with only one film appearance in The Gray Man. Greta Gerwig has been building up anticipation for his next role, but not everyone’s thrilled about him playing Barbie’s love interest.
After the first Barbie trailer dropped, some self styled ‘Barbie fans’ took it upon themselves to flood social media with repetitive complaints about Ryan Gosling playing Ken, their main gripe being that he was “too old” for the role. Gosling, however, clapped back at his critics in a GQ feature, asserting:
I would say, you know, if people don’t want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with.
It is funny, this kind of clutching-your-pearls idea of, like, #notmyken. Like you ever thought about Ken before this?
And everyone was fine with that, for him to have a job that is nothing. But suddenly, it’s like, ‘No, we’ve cared about Ken this whole time.’ No, you didn’t. You never did. You never cared. Barbie never f*cked with Ken. That’s the point. If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. So your hypocrisy is exposed. This is why his story must be told.
Ken and Barbie might be taking center stage in their very own live-action flick, but that’s just the beginning for Mattel. According to the company’s CEO, Ynon Kreiz, Mattel has a whole lineup of toys and dolls ready to hit the big screen, including the lovable Barney, the high-speed Hot Wheels (this is how Acceleracers can still win), the diminutive Polly Pocket and the mighty He-Man.
It’s no surprise, really, considering how Hasbro has successfully expanded its IP into blockbuster films like G.I. Joe, Power Rangers, and the mega-hit Transformers franchise. The alien autonomous robots have fascinated cinephiles since their introduction in 2007 and have gone on to rake in a whopping $5.02 billion, making it the 14th highest-grossing film franchise ever.
If Mattel can make a dazzling debut with Barbie on July 21, there’s no telling how far it can go in Tinseltown. The toy giant could be the next big thing in Hollywood, surpassing even the Transformers’ success.
