‘Barbie’ Oscar Nominee Ryan Gosling Reacts To Irony Of Being Picked Over Costars
Image via Barbie Movie
The Barbie movie, lauded for realistically conveying what women go through every day, proved its point when Ryan Gosling was nominated for an Oscar while his female colleagues were overlooked.
In a case of life imitating art imitating life, Gosling’s portrayal of Ken earned him a Best Supporting Actor nod, but left out key contributors Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig.
In Barbie, set in the matriarchal world of Barbieland, his character, Beach Ken, visits the real, male-dominated world and revels in the way its society works. He brings these values—along with a fascination for horses—back home to Barbieland, causing a drastic shift in the dynamics between the Barbies and Kens.
The story delves into themes of patriarchy, feminism, and self-discovery, with Barbie and Ken’s experiences leading to disruptive changes in their world.
Despite the movie’s exploration of these themes, the Academy Awards have reflected a real-world bias.
Gosling, in a pink-washed statement published through his stylist Mark Avery’s Instagram account, expressed his appreciation in being nominated but also voiced his disappointment over the lack of recognition for the production’s crucial contributors.
“I am extremely honored to be nominated… And I never thought I’d [be] saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken,” the actor said.
He then emphasized the integral roles of Gerwig and Robbie, stating:
“But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film.”
Gosling continued: “No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit, and genius.”
The Hollywood star lamented that to say he was disappointed with the outcome “would be an understatement.”
With that, he also expressed happiness for America Ferrera and other artists involved in the film who received nominations for supporting roles.
View this post on Instagram
The irony isn’t lost on the public, with one person commenting, “Turns out it has way less to do with horses than we thought.”
In another twist, the beloved I’m Just Ken was booed during the Oscars’ announcement of its nomination for Best Original Song.
Did anyone else hear someone “boo” in the audience when “I’m Just Ken” was announced for best original song? Was it Ryan Gosling? 🤔#Oscars2024 pic.twitter.com/26bZWO3N1z
— Kavya Santhosh (@kavya_santhosh2) January 23, 2024
