For Ryan Gosling, stepping into the shoes of Ken for Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie film was a journey. Embracing his newfound “Ken-ergy” was the key.
His humorous recount of this journey had the attendees at Warner Bros.’ Cinema Con in Las Vegas laughing out loud on Tuesday, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Alongside him were the movie’s director and co-writer Greta Gerwig and fellow actors Margot Robbie and America Ferrera.
When questioned about how he tapped into the character of Ken, Gosling shared his initial apprehension.
The Journey to Finding His Ken-ergy
“Frankly, I was only acquainted with Ken from the outside. The essence of Ken was foreign to me,” said Gosling. “To put it plainly, I was skeptical of my own Ken-ergy. It was Margot [Robbie] and Greta [Gerwig] who seemingly unearthed this from within me.”
The metamorphosis into Ken took him by surprise.
Gosling, renowned for his role in The Notebook, recalled, “There I was, in the midst of my routine, when suddenly I’m bleaching my hair, shaving my legs, donning custom-made vibrant outfits, and roller-skating down Venice Beach. It was as intense as catching the Scarlet fever.”
He humorously added, “I started questioning, ‘Why are my sheets stained with fake tan? Why am I pairing jackets with no shirts beneath? What just took over me?’”
The Barbie movie, a creative collaboration between Gerwig and her life partner Noah Baumbach (of Marriage Story fame), is slated for a theatrical release on July 21.
The plot revolves around the vibrant world of Barbie Land. However, things take a turn when Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, and Ken, portrayed by Ryan Gosling, embark on an adventurous road trip to the Real World.
The star-studded ensemble for Barbie also includes Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ncuti Gatwa, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman, Sharon Rooney, Scott Evans, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Jamie Demetriou, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Nicola Coughlan, and Emerald Fennell.