Movies - TV
Barbie’s Greta Gerwig Reveals The Renowned Actors That Inspired Ryan Gosling's Ken
By JEREMY SMITH
Some 64 years after she was thrust into the arms of children, Barbie, along with Ken, will make her movie debut on July 21, 2023, in Greta Gerwig’s new film “Barbie.”
While Barbie has been an aspirational figure for girls (e.g., breaking the glass ceiling as an executive or astronaut), Ken's achievements aren't paradigm-shattering for boys.
Ken even looks like a sunkissed dweeb, but Ryan Gosling, who landed the possibly embarrassing role, could always fall back on the maxim that it takes a smart actor to play stupid.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Gerwig revealed that Gosling was the only choice for Ken: “Margot [Robbie who plays Barbie] and I just wouldn't take no for an answer.”
Gerwig added that Gosling was the only actor who could embody Ken as a “combination of Marlon Brando meets Gene Wilder meets John Barrymore meets John Travolta.”
Ken's not supposed to have anything going on under the hood, so casting against type for a character based on a doll may be a masterstroke on Gerwig’s part.