'Barbie' star Ryan Gosling says he 'doubted' his Kenergy at first (original) (raw)
Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig had to help Ryan Gosling conjure his inner Kenergy for the upcoming live-action Barbie movie.
Gosling, set to play the Ken to Robbie's Barbie, admitted that he "doubted my Kenergy" at first while at the Warner Bros. panel at CinemaCon 2023 on Tuesday. "I only knew Ken from afar," he said. "I didn't know Ken from within and if I'm being really honest, I doubted my Kenergy. I didn't see it, but Margot and Greta, they conjured this out of me somehow."
"It was like I was living my life and then one day I was bleaching my hair, shaving my legs, wearing bespoke neon outfits, and rollerblading down Venice beach," Gosling continued. "It came on like a light scarlet fever and then I woke up one day and was like, 'Why is there fake tanner in my sheets? What just happened?'"
Ryan Gosling as Ken in 'Barbie'. Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.
Gerwig added at the panel that she "cried" when she stepped on the Barbie Land set for the first time. "They made Barbie houses and pool slides," she said. "The cars that they made… it was so touching because all of the people who made the vehicles had just made the Batmobile and were so excited to get the pink paint out."
"You've never seen so many grown men find reasons to be on set," Robbie said. "You were just so happy. We felt that every day." It was difficult to keep a straight face while filming, too. "I ruined all of Ryan's takes," Robbie added. "I'm so sorry for that."
Gerwig said technicolor musicals (see: The Wizard of Oz) were a big inspiration for the film, and that disco music would be integral.
Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in 'Barbie'. Warner Bros.
In a clip shared at the panel that hasn't been released to the public yet, Barbie brings a dance party to a grinding halt when she asks, "You guys ever think about dying?" Later, things go wrong when Barbie's heeled feet are, well, no longer heeled. Flat feet! This prompts screams all around, leading Margot's doll to seek counsel from "weird Barbie," played by Kate McKinnon, who informs her that she can tell her the "truth about the universe." Cue: footage of Barbie in the Real World, rollerblading and having her mugshot taken alongside Ken.
"If you love Barbie, if you hate Barbie, this movie is for you," a subtitle declared.
The star-studded Barbie cast also includes Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Michael Cera, Ncuti Gatwa, and Helen Mirren, among others. Warner Bros. released a whopping 24 character posters earlier this month, plus a second trailer. When Robbie's titular doll experiences an existential crisis, she departs the bubblegum pink Barbie Land and embarks on a trip to the Real World with Ken stowed away in the backseat of her convertible.
Gerwig penned the script with filmmaker Noah Baumbach, while Robbie produced alongside David Heyman, Tom Ackerley, and Robbie Brenner. Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Ynon Kreiz, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich, and Cate Adams executive produced.
Barbie and her pink convertible cruises into theaters July 21.
With additional reporting by Lauren Huff.
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