Ryan Gosling was inspired to join the Barbie movie after finding a Ken doll facedown in the dirt
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Ryan Gosling has portrayed a number of heartbreaking figures in his long career: a stunt driver unable to escape a brutal life of crime in Drive, a drug-addicted history teacher in Half Nelson, a grieving father who heads to the moon in First Man. But none of these tales can compete with the haunting and tragic backstory of his newest role as…Barbie's bae.
Yes, the forthcoming Barbie movie features one of the most broken and disregarded men in history: Ken. And it was this very realization that led the Oscar-nominated actor to take on what may be his most complex performance yet. You see, behind the denim-heavy, internet-breaking photos of Gosling as the toy is an emotional origin story.
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, Gosling noted that while the first images of him as the character caused quite the stir, no one ever truly cared about Ken before.
"I was surprised how, you know, some people were clutching their pearls at my Ken as though they ever thought about Ken for a second before this," he said. "They never played with Ken. Nobody plays with Ken, man."
"He's an accessory and not even one of the cool ones," Gosling added.
Todd Owyoung/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images; Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. Ryan Gosling says he was inspired to join the 'Barbie' movie after finding a Ken doll facedown in the dirt.
But there was one specific moment of Ken neglect that pushed Gosling to take on Barbie. After he received a call from director Greta Gerwig about joining the film, he reflected on the decision by taking a walk in his yard. It was there he stumbled upon an unsettling sight ripe with symbolism: a Ken doll lying in the mud.
"I walk out in the backyard and you know where I found Ken, Jimmy? Facedown in the mud next to a squished lemon," Gosling revealed.
Jimmy then shared Ryan's image of the Ken doll in the dirt, the shot evoking the eeriness of a crime-scene photo.
Gosling continued, "I texted it to Greta and I said, 'I shall be your Ken, for his story must be told.'"
Funnily enough, this is the second film he's starred in that features a poignant doll narrative.
The actor was on the show to promote his mega-budget Netflix action thriller The Gray Man — though that flick is sure to be topped by Barbie, which has the "best script" Gosling has ever read.
Fans can enjoy all that Kenergy when Barbie hits theaters July 21, 2023.
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