Ryan Gosling is appealing to Barbie fans who think he’s too old to play Ken in the upcoming film adaptation.
After the actor was cast in the role, some critics slammed the 42-year-old star age-related comments on social media.
“I would say, you know, if people don’t want to play my ken, there are plenty of other kens they can play with,” Gosling said GQ in a new interview.
In addition to Gosling’s Ken, the film also features actors John Cena, Simu Liu, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa and Kingsley Ben-Adir as different versions of the eponymous doll.
He then threw a dig at fans, who he says “never cared about Ken” until he committed to portraying the iconic character.
“It’s funny,” he added, “this way of clinging to the beads, like #notmyken.” How have you ever thought of Ken?”
Elsewhere in the interview, Gosling noted that in the past, Ken’s character was limited to just chilling on the beach and just being Barbie’s man, with no one ever caring about his own story.
“And everyone agreed that he has a job that’s worth nothing,” the star said. “But all of a sudden it’s like, ‘No, Ken was our heart the whole time.’ No you didn’t. you never did it You never cared. Barbie never shagged Ken. That is the point. If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. This exposes your hypocrisy. That is why his story must be told.”
Gosling added: “This guy is close to my heart now. I’m like his representative. “Ken couldn’t show up to accept this award, so I’m here to accept it for him.”
Despite Gosling’s naysayers, there are plenty of people on Twitter who have expressed their support for the actor, calling him the “perfect Ken.”
Back in April, the “La La Land” star expressed his fear of not having the right thing.ken energy” for the “Barbie” film during an appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
“I only knew Ken from afar. I didn’t know Ken inside out, and if I’m being completely honest, I doubted my Ken energy,” Gosling told the audience at a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation.
He then went on to praise the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, and his co-star Margot Robbie for helping him transform into the confident six-pack athlete.
“I didn’t see it, but Margot and Greta kinda conjured that out of me,” Gosling said. “It was like living my life and then one day bleaching my hair, shaving my legs, wearing neon tailored outfits and rollerblading down Venice Beach.”
Slated for release on July 21, Barbie will also star Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Emma Mackey, Alexandra Shipp, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman and Emerald starring Fennell, Sharon Rooney, Scott Evans, Ana Cruz Kayne, Connor Swindells, Ritu Arya, Jamie Demetriou and Marisa Abela.