Barbie: Rob Thomas Reveals Why He Said Yes to "Hilarious" Matchbox 20 Joke
While Greta Gerwig's Barbie has been a rich source of viral moments since the release of the first trailer — we're talking things like the marketing for the film spawning a viral TikTok "Barbie feet' challenge, lots of discussion of "Kenergy", and more — since the film's release one of the more memorable and more discussed aspects of the film has been the surprise inclusion of Matchbox Twenty's song, "Push". In the film, Ryan Gosling's Ken sings the song at a pretty important moment and to hilarious effect and now, musician Rob Thomas explains why he agreed to the song's inclusion in the wildly popular film.
According to Thomas, he agreed to the song's use thinking that the way it would be used would lead to him being the "butt of the joke" but the way things turned out, viewers not only ended up loving Gosling's Ken, but the song as well.
"When I got the call for Barbie, they told me, 'Ken's by the fireside, he's playing the song and it's his favorite band.' So, I did this thinking I'd be the butt of the joke, and I was fine with that. I'm pretty thick-skinned," Thomas told USA Today (via Cinemablend). "But Julie Greenwald (from Atlantic Records) came to the Hollywood Bowl a month or two ago. She had just seen the movie and was like, 'You come out of it loving Ken and loving 'Push.'' And I was like, 'Aww. Alright, really good!'"
Thomas also said that a part of the reason he agreed to let the song be used in the film was because he's a fan of Gerwig, going so far as to describe her as being one of his "crushes".
"Also, Greta Gerwig has been one of my crushes forever, to the point where I was on a plane one time and I called my wife, like, 'Baby, Greta Gerwig just came on the plane, oh my god.' So just the fact that it didn't diminish my crush of Greta, that's even better," he said."
Rob Thomas Dedicates Performance to Ryan Gosling After Barbie Success
Fans have found a new love for "Push" since Barbie's release and Thomas recently dedicated the band's latest live performance of the song to Gosling, as was shared in in a now-viral TikTok video.
@hannahcroteau “i’d like to dedicate this next song to ryan gosling” – rob thomas #matchbox20 #matchboxtwenty #robthomas #ryangosling #barbie #barbiemovie #push #fyp
♬ original sound – Hannah
Greta Gerwig Refused to Cast Anyone other Than Ryan Gosling for Ken
While Gosling has come away from Barbie with a lot of critical and audience praise for his performance as Ken, initially the actor couldn't picture himself in the role — but Gerwig has previously said that there was no one else she could have envisioned to play the part.
"It was only ever Ryan Gosling," Gerwig explained. "Margot and I wouldn't take no for an answer."
About Barbie
In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera , Kate McKinnon , Michael Cera , Ariana Greenblatt , Issa Rae , Rhea Perlman , and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey , Hari Nef , Alexandra Shipp , Kingsley Ben-Adir , Simu Liu , Ncuti Gatwa , Scott Evans , Jamie Demetriou , Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya , Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren . Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach , based on Barbie by Mattel .
Barbie is in theaters now.