Barbie has found her Ken.
Canadian actor Ryan Gosling has reached for the platinum blond hair dye and donned a denim vest to star as Barbie’s boyfriend in the coming movie about the world-famous Mattel doll.
Gosling, 41, joins Australian actress Margot Robbie, 31, in the film, scheduled for release in the US on July 21, 2023. It will also star Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, Michael Cera and America Ferrera.
Sporting bleached blond hair, a double denim outfit and a pair of underpants with the word “Ken” along the waistband, Gosling showed off his six-pack and winning smile as he prepares to bring the doll to life on the big screen.
Is Ryan Gosling’s look based on Earring Magic Ken?
Ken was introduced as Barbie’s boyfriend by toymaker Mattel in 1961, at the American International Toy Fair, and was dressed in red swimming trunks with a yellow towel and sandals.
Over the years, his hair was changed from moulded plastic to synthetic strands, and the first African-American version was introduced in 1982. As with Barbie, different versions of Ken have been released, including SuperStar Ken, Sun Lovin Malibu Ken, Shave N Style Ken, and Dream Date Ken in a tuxedo complete with cummerbund and rose.
Eagle-eyed fans have taken to social media to express their belief that Gosling’s look has been styled on 1993’s Earring Magic Ken, which became a collector’s item thanks to his earring, purple mesh T-shirt and purple PVC jacket.
Gosling’s 2022 version of the doll has already sparked an online frenzy by fans desperate to get their hands on a pair of Ken-emblazoned underwear.
‘Barbie’s story comes with a lot of baggage’
Back in April, Warner Bros released the first image from the film of Oscar-nominated actress Robbie as the titular character, sitting in a pink Chevrolet Corvette convertible. The star later told Vogue: “People generally hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be.’ And then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t.'”
The actress said that bringing the doll’s story to the big screen “comes with a lot of baggage … and a lot of nostalgic connections.”
Rumours about a Barbie movie first began back in 2014. Over the years, many famous actresses, directors and writers have been attached to the project.
Sex and the City writer Jenny Bicks was touted as a possible writer back in 2014, a post later taken over by the Oscar-winning writer of Juno, Diablo Cody.
With Cody onboard, comic actress Amy Schumer signed on to star as the real-life doll, but dropped out in 2017 citing scheduling conflicts.
After Schumer left, Anne Hathaway was signed on to step into the rubber heels, after which Cody left the project. It was left to gather dust until Robbie came onboard.
Scroll the gallery below to see Margot Robbie's style evolution:
