Ryan Gosling is Ken. For this video, we’ll be looking at how the talented actor became the king of Kenergy for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie, in theaters July 21, 2023.
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00:00 A lot of people don't know this, George Lucas based The Force on Kennergy.
00:03 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're discussing how Ryan Gosling prepared to play Ken.
00:09 I'm excited.
00:10 Are you?
00:10 Yes.
00:10 I mean, people are going nuts for the photos of it.
00:13 I can't, I can't wait. That's nothing.
00:16 For this video, we're looking at how the talented actor became the king of Kennergy
00:20 for Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie in theaters July 21st, 2023.
00:25 Do you think Ryan Gosling is the perfect Ken? Let us know in the comments.
00:30 Gosling's return to Hollywood
00:33 Since becoming a child actor, Ontario-born Ryan Gosling has established himself as both
00:38 a mega movie star and a familiar face in the indie film world.
00:42 We all know him from fan favorites like The Notebook, but Gosling also got the chance to
00:46 showcase his immense talent for dark, dramatic characters in films like 2001's The Believer
00:51 and 2011's Drive.
00:53 You mean all the car chases and stuff?
00:54 Yeah.
00:58 Is that dangerous?
00:59 In the mid-2010s, Gosling made his way into blockbusters such as Denis Villeneuve's Blade
01:06 Runner 2049 and Damien Chazelle's La La Land. The latter earned him an Academy Award nomination
01:12 for Best Actor and a Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.
01:27 In 2018, Gosling teamed up with Chazelle again for the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man.
01:32 By this time, he had had his second daughter with his partner Ava Mendes,
01:36 who co-starred alongside him in the 2012 crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines.
01:40 The actor subsequently decided to take a break from the entertainment world to focus on spending
01:55 time with family. Gosling has said this time away from the spotlight changed his perspective on
01:59 acting, and would later allow him to take on projects he'd never had the chance to do before.
02:04 Luckily, Hollywood gave him the opportunities he was looking for.
02:08 With his family in tow, he returned to the big screen for The Gray Man,
02:16 Netflix's 2022 epic action film also starring Chris Evans. Production partially took place
02:22 in Europe, giving Ryan, Ava, and their little Goslings a chance to explore the world together.
02:26 His daughters would also play a small part in their dad's next role,
02:39 but in a very different way. Gotta do it for the Kens!
02:42 In October 2021, it was announced that Ryan Gosling would play Ken in Greta Gerwig's Barbie
02:48 movie. But it took some convincing. Gerwig has said that the actor was the only one she wanted
02:54 in the role, and that she even saw him as an inspiration for the character.
02:58 In addition to reading what he described as the, quote, "best script he's ever read,"
03:07 Gosling was apparently compelled to accept the part after seeing an actual Ken doll in his backyard,
03:12 looking a little worse for wear. With that visual, he decided to sign on to be Barbie's
03:17 partner in plastic. Kenneth Sean Carson, or just Ken, came on the scene in 1961,
03:29 two years after Mattel introduced Barbie to the world. While it was implied the two were dating,
03:44 it was important to the company to keep Barbie single. In other words,
03:48 Ken was an afterthought, who was sometimes her boyfriend.
03:51 But despite only existing to complement Barbie, Ken still had a Kentastic life filled with fabulous
04:01 outfits, a BFF named Alan, and a slew of sporadic careers that almost rival his partner's. However,
04:08 his main job is more widely known as simply "beach," and we love that for him.
04:14 On the press tour for The Gray Man, Ryan Gosling was asked a lot about his new role,
04:25 and though he obviously couldn't share any plot details, he loved talking about Ken,
04:29 and even joked about the dolls' uphill battles.
04:43 After he learned more about this hilariously sad character,
04:46 Gosling felt the responsibility to share the untold story of Ken's plight with the masses.
04:50 Finding His Kennergy
04:56 Ryan Gosling is one of the top hunks in Hollywood, but he's also dabbled in method acting.
05:01 For a while, he was known for playing brooding, loner-type characters with a penchant for violence.
05:06 But he's proven his comedic talent in rom-coms like Crazy Stupid Love,
05:10 and also through hosting Saturday Night Live.
05:13 And in that moment, I died a little unto myself,
05:16 but I was reborn as the lizard I was destined to be.
05:21 Ironically, Gosling said that Ken has zero sense of humor, and is super serious.
05:27 We hope this means he takes every statement absolutely literally,
05:30 because that feels like a very Ken thing to do.
05:33 When most people think of Ken, they think of Barbie's cute boyfriend.
05:38 But Greta Gerwig and her romantic/writing partner Noah Baumbach
05:43 needed someone special to play their version of Ken that fit with the overall tone of the movie.
05:47 Everything in Barbie-land is bright pink and fun,
05:51 but Barbie's identity crisis requires a certain balance between comedy and drama.
05:55 Which is right in Gosling's wheelhouse.
06:04 Getting into the headspace and embracing that Ken life was seemingly easy for Gosling.
06:09 Though he credits Barbie herself, his co-star Margot Robbie, with helping him find his Kennergy.
06:15 The actress/producer sent him Barbie-inspired beachy gifts wrapped in pink,
06:19 playing into Ken's whole surfer vibe.
06:21 Another part of connecting with Ken was revisiting his inner child,
06:24 and enjoying the fun of it all in the midst of working hard.
06:27 Ryan's Ken's Formation
06:33 Mentally getting into character is what Mr. Gosling does best.
06:36 But for a fantastical role like Ken, an external transformation is essential too.
06:41 The usually sandy blonde-haired actor went for a striking bleach platinum color.
06:50 Which certainly stands out on its own, but against his spray tan, it really pops.
06:55 Perhaps the most challenging part of the preparation though,
06:57 was probably the all-over body hair removal process.
07:00 While Gosling said he shaved his legs, co-star Simu Liu,
07:04 who plays another Ken, dished on the painful experience of waxing.
07:08 How does one physically prepare to play a doll?
07:17 Well, Gosling hasn't shared any Ken-specific workout routines,
07:21 but Liu talked about the actor's impressive discipline when it comes to the gym and nutrition.
07:25 For past roles, he's practiced everything from Muay Thai to Pilates, plus some stunt work.
07:37 While it doesn't look like there will be any epic stunts in Barbie,
07:40 we do know the Barbies and Kens perform dance routines.
07:44 With his dance background on La La Land, and of course his epic past as a young performer,
07:54 we'd say Gosling is more than up to the task.
07:56 One thing we know Ken loves to do, besides maybe surfing, is rollerblading.
08:10 And, like everything else, he does it in style.
08:17 As seen in the trailers, Barbie and Ken skate around the real world sporting neon 90s inspired outfits.
08:23 And that's only one of many amazing ensembles.
08:26 There's his pastel beach wear, his cowboy get-up, a white and gold disco jumpsuit,
08:37 and of course, the eye-catching denim vest look prominently featuring his Calvin Klein-esque undies.
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09:04 From being undecided about the role at first to now fully embracing the character,
09:13 Ryan Gosling has certainly developed a bond with Ken.
09:16 He's admitted to caring about the character and feeling like inhabiting Ken was his calling.
09:21 Not long after seeing the Barbie trailer,
09:32 social media users questioned whether he was too old to be this iconically forever young doll.
09:37 But the actor, who is only 42 by the way, brushed off the Ken haters.
09:42 "So they ever thought about Ken for a second before this."
09:45 "Yeah, you feel like he's an underappreciated character, Ken."
09:49 "They never played with Ken. Nobody plays with Ken, man."
09:51 Besides, if anyone knows the character now, it's Gosling,
09:55 and he is prepared to defend him to the ends of Barbie land.
09:59 Gosling's partner, Ava Mendez, has also publicly shown her support,
10:03 even declaring a 2023 Ken-a-sauce.
10:06 "A Ken-a-sauce."
10:07 "What does that look like?"
10:09 "It's happening, it's happening now. It's like the Kens are ever..."
10:12 "I see all my Kens, there's Kens in this room."
10:13 We're fully convinced Ryan Gosling was made to play Ken,
10:17 and we just know his performance is going to blow expectations out of the water.
10:21 Whether it's the water from the beach or the Barbie dream house pool is yet to be determined.
10:26 "It's happening. This has been coming my whole life."
10:29 "You've been manifesting that?"
10:31 "Yes."
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10:39 [Music]