Summer is fast approaching, and you know what that means: Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie. (Serotonin, is that you?)
Despite the general air of excitement surrounding this ridiculous, star-studded feature and its hypey soundtrack, there has been some criticism. Namely, toward Ryan Gosling's exceptionally beefy Ken from some Gen Z representatives on Twitter and TikTok who called the 42-year-old actor — 10 years Barbie actor Margot Robbie's senior — "too old" for the part.
In a new GQ profile, Gosling addressed the criticism he's received for being perhaps too, erm, distinguished, for the role.
"I would say, you know, if people don't want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with," he said diplomatically when journalist Zach Baron inquired about the Gen Z-fuelled questioning of whether his brand of Ken-ergy was just a little... vintage?
The actor added, "It is funny, this kind of clutching-your-pearls idea of, like, #notmyken. Like you ever thought about Ken before this?" Gosling noted earlier in the interview that he and the filmmakers didn't exactly have a lot of backstory to work with for Barbie's right-hand man: "For 60 years, his job has been beach. What the fuck does that even mean?"
"And everyone was fine with that, for him to have a job that is nothing," he continued. "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 fucked 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."
The glorified accessory of a character has clearly found his unlikely champion in Gosling. "I care about this dude now. I'm like his representative," he laughed. "'Ken couldn't show up to receive this award, so I'm here to accept it for him.'"
It's worth pointing out that critics have somehow missed the bit that this is Ryan Gosling we're talking about here. He can play Ken when he's 80 if he wants to.
Barbie parties its way into theatres on July 21, when Gosling and his relatively baby-faced fellow Kens (including Simu Liu) will be sure to do plenty of beach.
Despite the general air of excitement surrounding this ridiculous, star-studded feature and its hypey soundtrack, there has been some criticism. Namely, toward Ryan Gosling's exceptionally beefy Ken from some Gen Z representatives on Twitter and TikTok who called the 42-year-old actor — 10 years Barbie actor Margot Robbie's senior — "too old" for the part.
In a new GQ profile, Gosling addressed the criticism he's received for being perhaps too, erm, distinguished, for the role.
"I would say, you know, if people don't want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with," he said diplomatically when journalist Zach Baron inquired about the Gen Z-fuelled questioning of whether his brand of Ken-ergy was just a little... vintage?
The actor added, "It is funny, this kind of clutching-your-pearls idea of, like, #notmyken. Like you ever thought about Ken before this?" Gosling noted earlier in the interview that he and the filmmakers didn't exactly have a lot of backstory to work with for Barbie's right-hand man: "For 60 years, his job has been beach. What the fuck does that even mean?"
"And everyone was fine with that, for him to have a job that is nothing," he continued. "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 fucked 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."
The glorified accessory of a character has clearly found his unlikely champion in Gosling. "I care about this dude now. I'm like his representative," he laughed. "'Ken couldn't show up to receive this award, so I'm here to accept it for him.'"
It's worth pointing out that critics have somehow missed the bit that this is Ryan Gosling we're talking about here. He can play Ken when he's 80 if he wants to.
Barbie parties its way into theatres on July 21, when Gosling and his relatively baby-faced fellow Kens (including Simu Liu) will be sure to do plenty of beach.
