Ryan Gosling has been pretty vocal about what a strange journey it’s been to transform into Ken for the upcoming “Barbie” movie, but now he’s sharing how the movie’s lead, Margot Robbie, helped him get into character. According to him, his costar gave him different Ken- and Barbie-themed presents every day on set.
“She left a pink present with a pink bow, from Barbie to Ken, every day while we were filming. They were all beach-related,” Gosling told Vogue in an article published on May 24. “Like puka shells, or a sign that says ‘Pray for surf.’ Because Ken’s job is just beach. I’ve never quite figured out what that means. But I felt like she was trying to help Ken understand, through these gifts that she was giving.”
In the same article, Robbie called Gosling’s performance as Ken “the greatest version of Ryan Gosling ever put on screen.” Gosling said of his role, “Ken wasn’t really on my bucket list. But in fairness, I don’t have a bucket list. So I thought I’d give it a shot.” Director Greta Gerwig pointed out to Vogue that Barbie was created by Mattel first, which gives them an interesting origin and dynamic. “Ken was invented after Barbie, to burnish Barbie’s position in our eyes and in the world. That kind of creation myth is the opposite of the creation myth in Genesis,” she explained.
Robbie has also spoken about how much she loved working with Gosling on the movie, which hits theaters on July 21. In a December 2022 interview with Variety, she called him “the most glorious human being.” There are also rumors that the pair will reunite on screen in an upcoming “Ocean’s 11” prequel.
Though Gosling’s role in “Barbie” is still pretty opaque, he told Entertainment Tonight last July, “Ken’s got no money, he’s got no job, he’s got no car, he’s got no house. He’s going through some stuff.”
Gosling’s partner Eva Mendes has also been vocally supportive of the actor’s transformation into Ken; earlier this May, she posed in a T-shirt featuring Gosling as Ken on Instagram. “Got that real big Kenergy. Coz girls is players too,” she wrote in her post’s caption.
Related: Why “Barbie” and “Mrs. Maisel” Make Me Proud to Be “Like Other Girls”
