As a cultural force, 鈥淏arbie鈥 has reached fever pitch. Greta Gerwig鈥檚 film follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling), who dance, surf and suntan in the seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land until they enter the real world and discover the joys and perils of living among humans. From the movie鈥檚 rose-coloured hype machine, much think-piece ink has been spilled; Robbie鈥檚 press tour looks have entered the fashion Hall of Fame and brand partnerships seem to multiply by the day.
Few people are having more fun with the spectacle than Gosling and Simu Liu. The Canadian actors play different versions of Ken in the movie, which opens in theatres this Friday.
鈥淭his film has taught me a lot about Kenergy,鈥 said Liu on the pink carpet at Toronto鈥檚 鈥淏arbie鈥 press tour. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about embracing who you are, and not being afraid of the judgment and the opinions of others.鈥
Liu paused and grew serious. 鈥淚 grew up in a time and place in society where it was like, boys play with these toys and girls play with these toys. It鈥檚 all a bunch of bullshit. You should be able to play with whatever toys you want to play with; you should be able to wear whatever colour you want to wear. You should be able to celebrate who you are.鈥
Barbie World before the fall: Simu Liu living the dream as Ken.
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures / 漏2022 Warner Bros. EntertainmentGosling said that Gerwig, who co-wrote the film with her partner, the filmmaker Noah Baumbach, suggested that her actors tap into their formative years while on set.
鈥淕reta encouraged all of us to remember that time in our life and to connect it to our characters,鈥 said Gosling. Thinking about his younger self, he grinned. 鈥淭hat kid had his hustle! He hustled to get me here today. I was trying to give him time off. I retired him. I was like, 鈥業’ll do it from here.鈥 But I had to pull him out of retirement one last time.鈥
Gosling joked that Ken, as the number two doll, needed some hustle too. 鈥淚鈥檇 love to see Ken get a house and a job,鈥 he said. 鈥淢aybe I could get him a van that he could live in and work from.鈥
The vibes are real: Ryan Gosling as Ken in Greta Gerwig鈥檚 鈥淏arbie.鈥
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Picture / 漏2022 Warner Bros. EntertainmentAt the 海角社区官网premiere, Gosling was joined by his sister, Mandi Gosling. 鈥淭here鈥檚 joy everywhere 鈥 the Kenergy is nuts,鈥 she said, gesturing to the sea of pink. Considering the personalities of her brother and his famous character, she added, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a fine line between Ryan and Ken and Ken and Ryan.鈥
Without missing a beat, Gosling quipped: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what you鈥檙e talking about.鈥
Mandi laughed, then beamed at her brother. 鈥淚t’s always fun to see the person you admire so much (sharing) his great qualities for the world to see. (In the movie), you get to see a lot of what we, as a family, love about him.鈥
Gosling grinned. 鈥淲e used to sing at weddings together 鈥 she鈥檚 seeing that. There鈥檚 some Ken there.鈥
鈥淲e had a little set-list,鈥 said Mandi. 鈥淲e did six songs 鈥 it would be like a 20 minute act.鈥
In the movie, Gosling sings 鈥淚鈥檓 Just Ken鈥 while wearing a headband, fingerless gloves and a full-length fur coat. He tosses off lines like, 鈥淎m I destined to live a life of blond fragility?鈥 and 鈥淲hat will it take for her to see the man behind the tan?鈥
Liu said that he and Gosling brought a splash of their personalities to the screen.
鈥淚 love to dance as much as Ken does. The Kens and Barbies are always finding reasons to throw a perfectly choreographed block party, dance numbers and all,鈥 said Liu. 鈥淭he Kens are sometimes a bit of an idiot. So I like to think that I’m a little smarter, but maybe not by that much,鈥 said Liu with a laugh.
While the 鈥淏arbie鈥 press tour has created a pink mirage of fun and fashion, the movie itself wades into deeper waters. Self-aware, nuanced and funny, it addresses the problematic ideals, including unrealistic body image, that the doll itself has upheld for decades. 鈥淏arbie鈥 is more than an entertaining watch, it鈥檚 a likely awards season contender.
Liu said that鈥檚 due to Gerwig and her instinct to turn Barbie from a plastic ideal to a fully realized character. 鈥淚’m really excited for people to see Barbie鈥檚 journey, not just Margot 鈥 who is obviously incredible in it 鈥 but all of the amazing actresses who play the different Barbies going on their journeys.鈥
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