Barbie: Ryan Gosling Reveals His Daughters' Reaction to Him Playing Ken

The Barbie movie will make its debut later this month, but it is already acquiring quite a passionate following. The live-action adaptation of the iconic Mattel franchise boasts an epic aesthetic and star-studded ensemble cast, including Ryan Gosling as the film's main version of Ken. Gosling's connection to the project, and the various anecdotes he has revealed since being cast, have been met with a pretty positive response — but apparently, two people close to the actor have a much more unique outlook on it. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Gosling revealed that his and Eva Mendes' two daughters had a "confused" reaction to him landing the role, because they don't call their own Ken dolls by the name "Ken."

"Barbie landed in my house at the same time as the script, basically," Gosling revealed. "What was interesting to me is that my kids don't just brush their hair and dress them up. None of them have names that are Barbie. They all have complicated back stories, lives, relationships, hopes, dreams. It's incredible how intricate the world is that they've created."

"They were confused," Gosling added. "Why Ken? They don't even call him Ken. One of them is named Darrell. And Darrell works at a grocery store. One of the Barbies' names is Gym Class. And Gym Class met Darrell at the grocery store, but Gym Class, she's focusing on herself right now."

Why Did Ryan Gosling Join Barbie?

Gosling has openly praised director Greta Gerwig and star and producer Margot Robbie's pitch for the Barbie movie, calling the script the best he has ever read. The actor has also teased the impact that he hopes the film will have.

"This has been coming my whole life," Gosling told Variety back in 2022. "I think a lot of Kens will feel seen when they see this. Gotta do it for the Kens of the world. Nobody plays with Kens!"

How Many Mattel Movies Are in the Works?

According to recent reporting from The New Yorker, there are a total of 45 Mattel-related movies in the process of getting made, including (but not limited to) Barney, Hot Wheels, Polly Pocket, and He-Man. Other projects that have been announced to be in development over the years include American Girl, Big Jim, Chatty Cathy and Betsy Wetsy, Magic 8 Ball, Matchbox, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, Uno, View-Master, and Wishbone.

"Barbie is one of the most iconic franchises in the world and we are excited to partner with Warner Bros. Pictures and Margot Robbie to bring her to life on the big screen," Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO of Mattel, said in a statement when the film took shape. "We look forward to building on this collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures as we tell the stories of our beloved brands. Mattel Films is on a path to demonstrate the enormous potential of our brand portfolio, as we continue to execute on our strategy of transforming Mattel into an IP-driven, high performing toy company."

What Is the Barbie Movie About?

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 hits 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.