Ryan Gosling fires back at fans who criticize his version of Ken in the upcoming Barbie movie. Based on the eponymous Mattel toy line, Barbie is directed by Greta Gerwig, with a script written by her and Noah Baumbach. The film features Margot Robbie in the titular role with Gosling starring opposite her as Barbie's toy counterpart Ken. Supporting cast members for Barbie include Emma Mackey, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Ritu Arya, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, and America Ferrera.
Despite the general air of excitement surrounding the project, when promotional images for Barbie first started being released online, some fans took issue with Gosling's Ken. The image in question features Gosling sporting a very different look from his other films, with bleached blonde hair and a denim jacket with cutoff sleeves, standing in front of a bright pink house. Some criticized Gosling's casting due to his age, with the Blade Runner 2049 actor now 41 years old. Robbie, on the other hand, is 32, putting the age difference between the two Barbie stars at nearly 10 years.
In an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Gosling fires back at those who have been criticizing his version of Ken, jokingly suggesting that they likely never even played with the Ken toy. The actor says Ken is "an accessory" to Barbie and that, until the movie was announced, it's likely that the fans who are being critical of his casting probably never even thought about him. Check out Gosling's funny comment below:
I was surprised how, you know, some people were kind of clutching their pearls about my Ken, as though they ever thought about Ken for a second before this. They never played with Ken. Nobody plays with Ken, man. He’s an accessory and not even one of the cool ones.
While it remains to be seen how Gosling's portrayal of the iconic Barbie character comes to life on the big screen, videos and images from the set have already teased some of what's to come. One memorable moment involves Gosling releasing a high-pitched scream when Robbie's Barbie punches a groper, a situation that many fans seemed to find very amusing. It's unlikely that Gosling's comment will change anyone's mind who believes that he's too old, but it's clear that at least one vocal group of fans really does love what's been shown of his portrayal so far.
Plot details remain mostly unknown about Barbie, and it's still unclear how closely Ken and Barbie will stick to the Mattel toys' backstory. For the most part, however, Gosling's comment rings true, with Barbie generally the main focus when it came to the toy line, especially considering the toys were mostly marketed at young girls. Of course, it's also entirely possible that the Barbie movie will address and account for some of the fan complaints that surfaced about Gosling's Ken, but fans it's likely fans won't find out until the movie releases next summer.
Source: The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon
