Ryan Gosling Was Surprised By The Passionate Reactions To His Ken In The Upcoming Barbie Movie
"As though they ever thought about Ken for a second," he said in a new interview.
The Internet spiraled after the first official photo of Ryan Gosling as Ken in the forthcoming live-action Barbie movie was released—much to Gosling's surprise.
In a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, the actor talked to host Jimmy Fallon about the passionate opinions on his portrayal of the iconic Mattel doll.
"It officially broke the Internet," Fallon told Gosling, to which Gosling replied, "Well, you know, the Internet’s been trying to break me for years, so they gave me no other choice."
The Oscar-nominated actor continued, "I was surprised how some people were kind of clutching their pearls about my Ken, as though they ever thought about Ken for a second. … They never played with Ken. Nobody plays with Ken, man. Did you play with Ken? … He's an accessory, and not even one of the cool ones."
The hilarious reactions to Gosling's Ken also hit closer to home. His wife, Eva Mendes, previously shared her thoughts on the now viral photo by posting it to Instagram. "So. F. Funny. So. F. Good. So F excited for you to see this. #Thatsmyken," she wrote in the caption.
Gosling costars with Margot Robbie, who plays the titular Barbie, as well as Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Hari Nef, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and so many more. The Greta Gerwig–helmed film is set for a 2023 release date.
After being offered the part of Ken by Gerwig, Gosling told Fallon why he chose to accept the role. "Best script I've ever read," he explained.
Elaborating on how he came to his decision, he added, "I walk out in the backyard, and do you know where I found Ken? Facedown in the mud next to a squished lemon. … I texted it to Greta, and I said, 'I shall be your Ken. For his story must be told.'"
This article originally appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US