'You never cared about Ken': Ryan Gosling defends 'Barbie' casting
MANILA, Philippines — Actor Ryan Gosling responded to critics and haters who said that at 42 years old, he is too old to play Ken in "Barbie," opposite Margot Robbie as the titular character.
Gosling appeared on the June/July 2023 issue of GQ Magazine where he talked about his return to acting.
"Barbie" is Gosling's second film since 2018's "First Man" — his comeback was last year's "The Gray Man" on Netflix" — as he took some time to raise his second daughter with partner Eva Mendes.
In the interview, Gosling touched upon how he accepted the role of Ken after a call with the film's director, Greta Gerwig. After reading the script, he found his daughter's own Ken doll in their backyard lying facedown in the mud beside a squished lemon.
"There's something about this Ken that really, I think, relates to that [younger] version of myself," Gosling told GQ. "I owe that kid a lot. I feel like I was very quick to distance myself from him when I started making more serious films. But the reality is that, like, he’s the reason I have everything I have."
However, not everyone took kindly to Gosling being tapped as Ken. Some said he was too old or grown to be Barbie's love interest, to which Gosling amusingly said, "I would say, you know, if people don’t want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with."
Related: Ryan Gosling accepted Ken role in 'Barbie' because of his daughters' dolls
This is a likely reference to other versions of Ken in the "Barbie" movie played by Simu Liu, John Cena, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa and Scott Evans.
The actor even joked that Ken's job for the past 60 years was simply "beach," but then he pointed out people never seemed to give much thought about Ken until he was cast.
"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," Gosling said. "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."
Gosling laughed it off and said he cares about Ken, even calling himself a representative for the character, "Ken couldn't show up to receive this award, so I'm here to accept it for him."
Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" will see Robbie's Barbie and Gosling's Ken travel from Barbie Land to the real world following the former's existential crisis about being the perfect doll.
Starring with the two and the rest of the Ken actors are Kate McKinnon, Dua Lipa, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Hari Nef, Emerald Fennell, Will Ferrell, Connor Swindells, Jamie Demetriou, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Rhea Perlman and Helen Mirren as the film's narrator.
The official soundtrack of "Barbie" and the movie's release in Philippines cinemas will be on July 19.
RELATED: 'Barbie' releases main trailer, soundtrack list featuring Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj
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