Ryan Gosling Is Directly Responsible For Ken's Underwear In Barbie
If there's any justice, Ryan Gosling will receive an Oscar nomination for "Barbie." The actor unflinchingly commits to the bit as Barbie's man accessory ... er, other half with method-esque intensity. Whether he's leading the other Kens into battle, crying about his lack of identity outside of Barbie, or talking about his job, "beach" (which is definitely not "lifeguard," although that's a common misconception), he does so with the utmost seriousness. It's a performance on the level with his Oscar-nominated portrayal of a progressive middle-school teacher addicted to cocaine in "Half Nelson" and then some.
Gosling's Kenergy on the marketing circuit played a huge role in making "Barbie" the pop cultural event it's become. His power ballad in the film, "I'm Just Ken," has even cracked the Billboard Hot 100, with his tie-dye hoodie reading "I am Kenough" now a thing you can buy for real from Mattel. However, the company might have to cut Gosling an additional check if it decides to start selling his Ken-branded underwear, seeing as it was the actor himself who came up with it.
'No one cares about Ken'
"Barbie" costume designer Jacqueline Durran has been doing amazing work for the last two decades. She's responsible for the fetching outfits seen across Joe Wright's filmography (including his "Anna Karenina," for which she rightly won an Oscar), as well as those in films as worlds apart as "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "The Batman." Durran's previous collaboration with "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig on "Little Women" also won her an Oscar, and the odds are decent she'll earn at least a nomination for designing the vibrantly colorful attire worn by the citizens of Barbieland.
In an interview with British Vogue, Durran revealed she and her team were still working on the costumes for "Barbie" after filming had begun. In fact, it was actually Gosling who came up with the idea for Ken's undies to have his name on them in big, bold letters, which led to the first-look photo of the actor in character going viral. "We just rushed to make it," said Durran, citing "retro sportswear" as a primary source of inspiration for Ken's various getups:
"He is sporty. That's his main thing. We had buyers in America that went to dealers and imported it for us because we needed so much of it."
Much like the real-life Ken doll, Ken's wardrobe is limited in Gerwig's film. "No one cares about Ken, everybody just wants to play with Barbie," said Durran. "He matches Barbie and changes too but he has very, very, many less options." That may be true, but as Gosling's plastic hunk learns in the film, Ken just being himself is more than enough. And he looks pretty darn fierce in a cowboy hat to boot.
"Barbie" is currently playing in theaters.