Barbie Stars Says They “Drowned” in Ryan Gosling’s Eyes on Set

With a growing record-breaking gross at the box office, Barbie has become nothing short of a cultural phenomenon. The film boasts an ensemble cast of Barbies, Kens, and other characters, including Ncuti Gatwa as a Ken. In a recent interview with Elle, Gatwa revealed how his own personal struggle with imposter syndrome impacted his early days on the Barbie set, including getting lost in the eyes of his fellow Ken actor, Ryan Gosling.

“Inside it’s such a mess: I have so much impostor syndrome. I have so many insecurities. I like to make other people feel happy so there’s less focus on me. I become this loud figure that’s cracking jokes all the time. It comes across as confidence, but at the heart of it, it’s not. Real confidence is something I have to work on daily.”

“I was so nervous I hardly spoke for the first month [on set],” Gatwa explained. “There was a time when I was talking to [director] Greta [Gerwig] and I turned around and Ryan Gosling was looking at me, and his eyes were so blue that I just… fell over. I just drowned in his eyes.”

Will There Be a Barbie Sequel?

According to a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, there are currently no options or deals in place for star Margot Robbie, Gerwig, and Gosling to return for a Barbie sequel. Robbie, in particular, is reportedly not obligated to return to her role of Stereotypical Barbie, but could return as a producer on a Barbie sequel if she wanted to.

As the report outlines, Warner Bros. Pictures “made overtures” about Gerwig possibly returning to direct a Barbie sequel, but her team delayed those talks until the first film’s debut. With negotiations around new projects on hold until the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are over, there’s a chance that Gerwig, Robbie, and Gosling could return for a new Barbie movie — but they would probably have to negotiate much more lucrative contracts, in response to the film’s box office performance. Gerwig has indicated that she currently does not have any ideas for a sequel film.

“At this moment, it’s all I’ve got,” Gerwig revealed. “I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I’ll never have another idea and everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I did. I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.”

Why Did Ryan Gosling Play Ken?

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!”

What Is Barbie 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 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. 

What do you think of Gatwa’s new story about Barbie? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!