Life in plastic? It’s fantastic, now that we’ve seen our first glimpse of Ryan Gosling as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie movie.
Warner Bros. shared a first look at the actor in full Ken Doll drag today, and it’s got us eager to hop in the pink corvette and take a trip to the Barbie Dreamhouse—take a look for yourself:
#BARBIE
July 21, 2023
Only in theaters. pic.twitter.com/DAemOyv5H8— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) June 15, 2022
Honestly? It’s perfect. Yes, there’s the bronzed abs and the arms and the pecs, but Gosling’s also sporting the dead-on flirty smirk, the hair is so blonde it’s basically platinum, and that cool-guy denim vest is frayed at the ends just so. And we’re losing it over the monogrammed underwear—Ken so would—it’s almost enough to make you forget there’s absolutely nothing going on underneath!
This is only the second look we’ve been gifted from the long-gestating Barbie movie from writer-director Gerwig (co-written with her partner, filmmaker Noah Baumbach). With hot pinks and a plastic sheen, this feels like a far cry from her previous features, Little Women and Ladybird, so consider our interest thoroughly piqued. Not to mention the rapidly ballooning cast, which is also set to feature queer icons like Hari Nef and Kate McKinnon, and Miss “Levitating” herself, Dua Lipa.
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#BARBIE
July 21, 2023
Only in theaters pic.twitter.com/mauCGpizD1— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) April 26, 2022
It’s also been reported that both Simu Liu (Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings) and Ncuti Gatwa (our next Doctor Who) will be playing other versions of Ken, so we’re eager for yet more abs and—hopefully—some Ken-on-Ken action.
And can we just add how nice it is to see Gosling again? The handsome, brooding actor has been laying low since heading to space as Neil Armstrong in Damien Chazelle’s First Man, but he’s got a number of high-profile projects in the pipeline, including the spy vs. spy action thriller The Gray Man, which is set to hit Netflix next month. Soon, the “woke Ryan Gosling” memes will be flooding the internet all over again, and we’re certainly not complaining.
Barbie won’t hit theaters until July 21, 2023, but the excitement online should sustain us until then. Here’s what Gay Twitter™ has to say about Gosling as Ken:
if you feel the desire to text me updates about the Barbie film, I already know the tea before you know the tea. I have already processed the Ryan Gosling photo for a thousand lifetimes.
— Trixie Mattel™ (@trixiemattel) June 15, 2022
— Slade (@Slade) June 15, 2022
— ✨ (@heyjaeee) June 15, 2022
— alyssa mercante (@alyssa_merc) June 15, 2022
say yes to the jest
— hari nef (@harinef) June 15, 2022
MacAdvisor
Ken was always clean shaven, he never had stubble.
CatholicXXX
He was never a geriatric either, but that didn’t stop Hollywood from their usually bad casting.
IanHunter
He had stubble in the 70’s when you could cut and style his hair.
Mattster
@Catholic–41 is “geriatric” to you? Jesus.
JRamonMc
@Catholicxxx, it’s sad that in the gay scene anyone over 30 is considered geriatric in the dating world. Can’t wait for the judgement to hit home once you hit that third decade if you’re not already there.
doug105
Will they shave his penis off too?
Jaquelope
Are you actually expecting them to do a nude scene? C’mon. Get real!
Tarutaru
Zac Efron would have made a beautiful Ken. Classic dark hair blue eyes naturally tan authentic abs airbrushing not needed.
connor larkin
Glad you’re President of ZE’s Fan Club. Do you binge on ‘High School Musical’ too?
gregg2010
I agree. A younger actor needs to play Ken.
barryaksarben
No. Ryan looks perfe t. No child actor needed. I like to “groom” older men. I think we need to embrace groom as the nonsense it is. Everyone groom your heads off this summer. Make the religious idiots as sick of thar word as we all are
SDR94103
ps. I love you.
Kangol2
You’re so comical! A laugh a minute.
gregg2010
What a great suggestion, taking control of the word “groom” and “grooming.” Start using it in reference to everything you can think of!
greekboy
Ken has no scruff, and certainly no happy trail. OY!
bachy
I’m very curious about this project. Mattel maintains strict control over their licensed products, including the Barbie animated films. They don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize the fact that the doll is a toy for children (especially in light of the fact that it originated as a copy of a German, sexualized fashion doll for adults known as “Lily”). If Gerwig managed to get the go-ahead from Mattel, they are not going to allow for much “adult” humor in the script.
iminheatlikeacat
I guess you missed Toy Story’s 2 and 3 then, with all the sexual innuendos about Barbie and Ken, and the gag about the twin Barbies being invited to “audition” privately to get a part in a movie, ala Harvey Weinstein.
IanHunter
Bild Lilli— a pre-runner to Barbie. Was sold to men in German “tobbaco” shops. They also were considered a gag gift. Bild Lilli was also in a adult comic strip.
Terrycloth
I thought Ken left Barbie and married GI Joe
Inspector 57
Sorry, Terrycloth, while they have taken a break or two, Ken Carson and Barbara Millicent Roberts are currently very much dating.
There were rumors around 2016 that Barbie might dump Ken for GI Joe. Thankfully, those turned out to be invalid. Alas, so have the rumors that Ken dated GI Joe (or Fred Jones or Race Bannon or any other guy).
Paul2
Seriously
Preppy1000
On one hand Gosling looks incredibly HOT as Ken! On the other hand he looks pretty silly. Seriously–he’s a very good actor and he’s doing a Barbie film? Is he that hard up for money? Also isn’t he a little bit too old for the role?
mujerado
Maybe the idea just sounded like FUN to him. Foreign concept? In case you haven’t noticed, he’s a pretty laid-back man. It’s as much a part of his charm as his good looks.
Preppy1000
Fair enough. I do hope it’s a good movie and he has fun doing it but I can’t get past the fact that he’s too old for the role. I mean the guy is 42 and looks it. Then again Margot Robbie is 32 and playing Barbie so this might work out.
ShiningSex
He’s ugly as Ken. Stupid idea to begin with.