Ryan Gosling Doubles Down On Defence Of Old Ken Criticisms

Barbie star Ryan Gosling doubles down on his defense against those who say he’s too old to be playing Ken. Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie stars Margot Robbie as the titular Mattel doll, following her and Gosling’s Ken as they leave Barbie Land and journey to the Real World. While excitement is high for the upcoming movie, the choice to cast Gosling as Ken hasn’t been embraced by everyone.

Ahead of the Barbie release date this summer, Gosling further elaborates on his previous defense of his Ken casting in a recent interview with GQ. The actor argues that, prior to his casting in the film, nobody really gave Ken a second thought. Check out Gosling’s full comment below:

“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—ed 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.

“I care about this dude now. I’m like his representative. ‘Ken couldn’t show up to receive this award, so I’m here to accept it for him.’ ”

Ryan Gosling Might Be The Perfect Ken

As the trailers for Barbie have suggested, Gerwig’s upcoming take on the Mattel doll might be more complex and nuanced than initially thought. The film is seemingly exploring themes relating to how Barbie and Ken, as dolls, feel about their own existence and their place in the world. Of course, while these existential themes are deep, the trailers show that the film will also have plenty of humor and maintain a unique tone.

Gosling, then, could end up being perfect as Ken. In addition to the Barbie trailers showing off his comedic timing, he also has a proven ability to bring dramatic weight to all the roles that he takes. Films like Crazy, Stupid, Love, La La Land, Lars and the Real Girl, and A Place Beyond the Pines all feature Gosling playing very different characters, but each role is nuanced and has an inner emotionality to it.

When Gosling does play outwardly funny or foolish characters, such as in The Nice Guys, he doesn’t play them for laughs. Instead, he plays them as real people with complex inner lives people, giving even funny characters a unique earnest quality. It’s this quality that will potentially make him the perfect Ken in Barbie, with the actor not just playing the doll as the butt of an over-the-top joke but as a being with a more complex inner existence that’s worth rooting for.

Source: GQ