Ryan Gosling Speaks Out After ‘Barbie’ Oscar Snubs
Pictured is Ryan Gosling at the 2024 Golden Globes. Photo courtesy of Michael Buckner for Getty Images.
Kerry Kadel | Arts & Entertainment Editor
The 2024 Oscar Nominations have been announced, and from the announcement, there has been an outrage of discourse and hypocrisy many have spoken out about in the nomination snubs for Barbie. Many are shocked that director Greta Gerwig and leading actress Margot Robbie weren’t nominated for their respective categories, “Best Director” and “Best Actress.” America Ferrera is nominated for “Best Supporting Actress,” from her role in Barbie, as well as Ryan Gosling for “Best Supporting Actor.”
In a turn of events, one of the movie’s original songs, “I’m Just Ken,” sung by Gosling, beat the film’s focused song “What Was I Made For?” written and performed by Billie Eilish. Gosling had a quizzical expression after hearing the song win at the Golden Globes, which has turned into a “reaction meme” by users on social media. Both these songs are up against each other for “Best Original Song” at the Oscars. Gosling, however, sees the hypocrisy that the Academy has committed with these nominations.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Gosling states, “There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film. No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius.” Disappointed, for Gosling, is an understatement as to how he feels for Gerwig and Robbie. “Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotch-less dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.” Having said this, Gosling congratulated Ferrera on her nomination and the artists who lent their talents to creating a groundbreaking film.
Many users on social media are quick to point out that what is happening to Gerwig and Robbie is exactly why the film was made–that in the real world, women do not have the equal strengths of men within society, but in Barbieland, women can be and do anything. Other users also state that it shouldn’t be as big of a problem for the actors and actresses nominated, as their respective talents earned them the win.
One X user posted, “People saying Ryan Gosling being nominated but Margot Robbie not is the academy ‘missing the point of the film’…what do you think an acting award is for exactly[?]”
However, there was major backlash for Gosling being casted as Ken when it was announced back in 2022. Gosling’s wife, actress Eva Mendes, posted to her Instagram celebrating her husband’s nomination. In the post were uploaded screenshots of a Rolling Stone article criticizing Gosling for being too old to portray Ken, where the author of the article also states, “…we’re already lining up therapy appointments for the nightmares this is sure to give us.”
It’s interesting to see that Gosling’s portrayal of Ken has completely changed the way audiences first viewed him in a single picture. However, this is certainly not the first time, nor will it be the last that an actor or actress will be criticized and receiving backlash for taking on a role viewer’s don’t seem fit, such as Leah Sava Jeffries playing beloved book character Annabeth Chase in the live-action “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series on Disney Plus.
What do you think about the nominations? Do you find them fair?
For more coverage from Flyer News check out our review of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”.