"This is the hardest part I’ll ever play"- Ryan Gosling opens up on the challenges of playing Ken in Barbie

With the Barbeheimer trend already a thing of the past year, it is quite rewarding to look back at Greta Gerwig's bold attempt, its success, and the success of its stars, Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie, who have since cemented their legacy on Hollywood even deeper. But the character of the near-forgotten Mattel toy was hardly an easy role for 43-year-old Ryan Gosling, who couldn't get "Kenough" of the character from the start.

Barbie became one of the biggest hits of the year. As stats suggest, it is perhaps the biggest awards darling in the world as well, bagging a record number of nominations in prestigious ceremonies like the Golden Globes. Gosling's Ken has also bagged a Grammy nomination for his soulful performance of I'm Just Ken, a song that the actor will perform at the Oscars, as per recent reports.

But higher rewards come with more hard work. Speaking about his offbeat role in Barbie, Ryan Gosling admitted that it was among his most challenging roles ever. He said to W Magazine:

"It was the title page of the script, which said “Barbie and Ken,” but “and Ken” was scratched out. And the next impression was, this is the hardest part I’ll ever play. How do you approach playing a 70-year-old crotchless doll?"

He elaborated on why it was such a demanding role to embody in the same interview.

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"There’s no research you can do for that"- Ryan Gosling on the challenges of taking up Ken's role

Ryan Gosling is among the most talented actors in the industry, having worked on multiple critically acclaimed films over his long career, including The Nice Guys and La La Land.

But still, the actor felt that embodying Ken was among the toughest jobs, mainly because the 70-year-old doll offered very little to the actor in terms of history, characteristics, or information.

Elaborating on this, Gosling said to W Magazine:

"There’s no research you can do for that. There’s no one you can shadow, no documentaries you can watch, no books written about Ken. You’re on your own."

This makes perfect sense, as all other characters have a set pathway or the freedom to go in any direction. This was not the case for Barbie's Ken, who was a pre-established character with few details available.

Speaking about the first scene he shot as Ken, Ryan said:

"The boat—when Barbie and Ken travel to the real world. I brought a prop seagull to set. I asked somebody to puppeteer it in the shot, and I didn’t tell Margot. Ninety percent of the actors I’ve worked with would go [very sarcastically], “You brought a seagull. Great.” But Margot was open to the seagull puppetry."

Ryan Gosling's hard work was well-rewarded in the industry as Barbie ended up with 18 nominations in the Critics Choice Awards. The film also made a tremendous record with 10 nominations at the 2024 Golden Globe Award, tying with Cabaret.

You can catch Ryan Gosling's fantastic performance on Barbie, now available for streaming on Max.