By Anna Menta
Published Dec. 15, 2023, 11:30 a.m. ET
Apologies to Roberts De Niro and Downey Jr., but no one deserves the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor more than Ryan Gosling. As of today, Barbie is now streaming on Max, which means it’s a great time to rewatch one of the best movies of the year, featuring one of the best performances of the year: Ryan Gosling as the much-overlooked Ken. Gosling didn’t so much play Ken, as become Ken. And I don’t mean that in the annoying method acting “terrorizing your coworkers on set way” — I mean that Gosling so thoroughly understood the assignment, that he completely embodied the spirit of Barbie’s doting, goofy, muscled boyfriend. Gosling charmed the world with his performance, now so ubiquitous that it’s hard to believe there was initial backlash to his casting.
Director Greta Gerwig has said she got the idea to cast Gosling after seeing him crush it on Saturday Night Live. “You know those actors you can just sort of feel that they know what’s funny, and I always felt that about him,” Gerwig said on an episode of the SmartLess podcast. “I’m a big fan of all of his SNLs, I always thought he was great on SNL. He did ‘Guy That Just Got a Boat’ on ‘Weekend Update,’ and it’s so good.”
It was an inspired casting decision, to say the least. Gosling’s performance is gaining Oscar buzz. He’s got a Golden Glob nomination, and he’s already won awards for Best Supporting Actor from critics circles in Atlanta, Boston, and Michigan. Here’s why Gosling—who so far has not won an Oscar in his career, although he’s been nominated twice—deserves that Academy Award for his transformation into Ken.
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From Day 1, Gosling understood exactly who Ken was.
Case in point: This Gosling interview with Jimmy Fallon from 2022, a full year before Barbie opened in theaters. “I was surprised how some people were kind of clutching their pearls about my Ken as though they ever thought about Ken for a second before this,” Gosling said. “They never played with Ken, nobody plays with Ken.” He added, “He’s an accessory and not even one of the cool ones.”
Like, this man just got it. Instantly.
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His reason for taking the role is possibly the greatest of all time.
![Ken Doll face down]()
Photo: YouTube / NBCIn that same interview with Fallon, Gosling told a story about getting the offer to play Ken from director Greta Gerwig. “Best script I’ve ever read,” Gosling said. “I walk out in the backyard, and do you know where I found Ken, Jimmy? Face down in the mud next to a squished lemon.”
Gosling then sent a photo of the Ken doll to Gerwig,
Photo: YouTube / NBC