The summer of 2023 has the most diverse and exciting line-up of films. After warming up with Jason Momoa-starrer Fast X’ and DCEU’s ‘The Flash,’ moviegoers will see two of the most anticipated films, ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer,” on the same day! Cinephiles have gotten a golden opportunity to enjoy two storytelling extraordinaire launching two career changers on the same day. Ryan Gosling has been in the news since they announced that he would be playing Ken. He received a lot of flak for being too old to play the role, but he kept the female protagonist at the center of the film.
‘Barbie’ has dialed up the pop-culture heat with an enthralling trailer and is waiting to translate Barbie nostalgia on celluloid. Greta Gerwig’s filmography has piqued the interest of the audience with how she will be amalgamating indie sensibilities into a colorful, mainstream project. Now the costume designer has talked about how little Ken has a role when Barbie will be at the forefront, even in the wardrobe department.
Related: Why Ryan Gosling Was Reluctant To Sign ‘Barbie’?
‘Barbie’ Costume Designer On Limited Clothes Options For Ryan Gosling During Filming
‘Barbie’ is a dream project that Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig arduously made. The director is stepping out of her usual style of filmmaking for this film, and Margot Robbie donned the producer’s hat for the film. The film focuses on the journey of the titular character, who transitions from a dream world to the real world after an existential crisis. Ken comes to aid Barbie during her adventures in real life.
Greta Gerwig talked about Ken’s position in Barbie’s world. She said, “Ken was invented after Barbie, to burnish Barbie’s position in our eyes and the world. That kind of creation myth is the opposite of the creation myth in Genesis.” Mattel introduced the character in 1961 after getting letters to give Barbie a boyfriend.
Ken has always been a side character in the various iterations of it. So, even in the wardrobe aspect, Barbie’s love interest was secondary. During an interview with Vogue UK, the film’s costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, talked about how Barbie’s clothes are always more important than Ken’s. She opined, “No one cares about Ken; everybody just wants to play with Barbie. He matches Barbie and changes too, but he has very, very less options.”
She also discussed 80s athleisure. Jacqueline added, “Retro sportswear is one area where we did a lot of shopping for Ken. 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.”
In Case You Missed: Ryan Gosling Reveals What His Partner Eva Mendes Thinks About His “Kenergy” In ‘Barbie’ Movie
Ryan Admits Ken Exists Only To Be Barbie’s Guy
Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of Ken came under a lot of criticism from the younger audience. They started a trend with the hashtag #NotMyKen. They think that the star of “The Notebook” is too old to play Barbie’s love interest. During the GQ cover interview, Ryan asked them to play with other Kens if they didn’t like him.
Ryan Gosling said, “It is funny. This kind of clutching-your-pearls idea of, like, #notmyken. Like you ever thought about Ken before this.” As per the actor, the character always existed to enjoy the beach and be Barbie’s sidekick. He continued, “And everyone was fine with that—for him to have a job that is nothing.”
The actor added, “But suddenly, it’s like, ‘No, we’ve cared about Ken this whole time.’ No, you didn’t. You never did. You never cared. Barbie never fucked with Ken. That’s the point. If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about him. So your hypocrisy is exposed. This is why his story must be told.”
You Might Also Like To Read: Margot Robbie Explains How An Unconventional Poem Made Her Hire Greta Gerwig For ‘Barbie’
