Ryan Gosling responds to critics of his role as Ken in the Barbie movie

Ryan Gosling called out critics who expressed concern about Ken’s performance in “Barbie” movie. The actor received considerable criticism from fans for playing the famous doll, with many claiming he was too old for the role.

Mattel, the maker of the Barbie doll, also recently unveiled toys that resemble Gosling’s character Ken, donning various outfits from the upcoming film, including a denim ensemble and a beach outfit with a surfboard.

Read on to learn more.

Ryan Gosling defends Ken Casting

Ryan Gosling is hitting back at critics voicing their concerns about his portrayal of Ken in the highly anticipated ‘Barbie’ movie, citing his ‘old age’ as the primary issue.

In a recent interview GQthe 42-year-old star responded to the controversy: “I would say if people don’t want to play my Ken, there are a lot of other Kens to play.”

Gosling said he found the whole discourse amusing, highlighting the fact that Ken never received much attention before being cast. “But suddenly it’s like, ‘No, we cared about Ken the whole time,'” Gosling noted. “No, you didn’t.” You never did. You never cared. Barbie never messed with Ken. That’s the point.”

The “La La Land” star ended the interview by addressing critics directly, stating, “If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. So your hypocrisy is exposed. That’s why his story needs to be told.”

Some fans didn’t like the casting of Ryan Gosling as Ken

Despite initial concerns from some fans of the toy brand about Gosling’s appearance in the Greta Gerwig-directed film, Gosling himself took on the role of “representative” of the character with humor.

He casually remarked, “Now I’m interested in this dude. I’m like your representative. Ken couldn’t show up to accept this award, so I’m here to accept it for him.”

When a trailer for the film was released on social media in April, some fans expressed concern about Gosling’s age, citing wrinkles and a perceived lack of attractiveness.

A fan tweeted, per Page six“Ryan Gosling is too old to play Kent; I’m sorry, but your wrinkles detract from the experience.” Another complaint came in: “He’s so Ken, but God, he’s so unattractive to me. I don’t want to call you ugly; it’s just not attractive to HIM.

Despite this, many other fans defended Gosling’s casting, with one even pointing out that Ken is 62 years old since the doll was created in 1961.

A supporter he tweeted“…There are a ton of abusers in Hollywood who still have jobs, but your biggest problem with the industry is that they cast a man who can actually act over some TikTok-looking white boy?”

Another fan he added“Ken is 62 years old. (Ryan Gosling) is only 42 years old. So let’s not talk about who’s too old to play who.”

Toy company Mattel releases doll-sized replicas

On Friday, toy company Mattel unveiled Margot Robbie and Gosling lookalike dolls featuring characters from the highly anticipated live-action Barbie movie. The collection includes doll-sized replicas of the 32-year-old actress and the 42-year-old actor.

In addition to Robbie and Gosling, the release will also feature dolls modeled after other key characters from the film, played by Simu Liu, America Ferrera and Issa Rae. The dolls are dressed in costumes similar to the actors of the upcoming film.

Mattel is releasing four toy-sized models that capture Robbie’s portrayal of Barbie complete with her iconic pink outfits.

Ryan Gosling’s doll-sized character

Following the announcement, social media users started talking about the Ken baby’s resemblance to Gosling. Some users expressed their disappointment as they felt that the doll did not resemble the actor as much as they had hoped.

Mattel doll Ken Gosling’s character in the Barbie movie featured a number of signature outfits, including the iconic jeans-on-jeans ensemble. The baby was wearing straight leg pants and an open sleeveless vest, revealing his chiseled stomach.

In a nod to a memorable moment from the film, the doll replica featured the same monogrammed underwear as Gosling’s character. Another doll of Gosling’s Ken was dressed in a bright beach outfit with pink and green stripes that mirrored what the actor wore in the film.

Gosling’s baby Ken was dressed in another stylish short-sleeved button-down shirt and shorts, paired with crisp white sneakers. He also carried a blue surfboard.