He’s starred in comedies like The Nice Guys where he plays alongside Russel Crowe as a private eye. He’s starred in serious movies like Drive and Blade Runner 2049 where he plays lone wolf-type characters down on their luck. And now he’s starred in the biggest hit of 2023, Barbie, where he’s just Ken and he is Ken-ough.
Ryan Gosling has been nominated at the 2024 Oscars for best supporting actor for his role as Ken, to much controversy over the fact that Margot Robbie, who played the leading role, didn’t get nominated for best actress. The film’s director, Greta Gerwig, was also snubbed for best director. The most notable directors who got nominated were Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer and Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon.
Gosling can play a diverse range of characters from a serious role as the driver in Drive or a goofier, more comedic role such as Ken in Barbie. “I like the diversity of Ryan Gosling as an actor. He can play a funny role in Barbie, a dramatic role in Blade Runner, and even a lovable role in The Notebook. He’s also just gorgeous,” senior Meilani Rodgers said.
Gosling had a standout performance in Barbie this past year, becoming one of the most, if not the most memorable of the entire film for how funny and naive his character was. “I thought he portrayed the role well with him being goofy as well as playing into the part of the stereotypical ‘man in control’,” senior Esteban Taborga said.
Gosling’s portrayal of Ken was relatable to fans and his part in the film surely helped to bring the film to a whopping $1.4 billion. In a statement to Variety, Gosling said, “that Ken life is even harder than the Gray Man life, I think. Ken’s got no money, he’s got no job, he’s got no car, he’s got no house. He’s going through some stuff.”
His relatability and lovable, goofy charm endeared him to audiences and made them fall in love with his performance. “I did watch Barbie and I think he played Ken very well,” sophomore Megan Lomotan said.
As a kid, Gosling showed off at a young age his singing and dancing chops that would land him roles in La La Land and Barbie. Clips of a 12-year-old Gosling dancing from 1992 can be found online and are worth a watch.
Gosling also has a new summer film releasing in May called The Fall Guy, which is based on an old TV show about a retired stuntman brought back into the world of cinema again. Advertising for the film has started rolling out with a spot during the ads for the Super Bowl. “I haven’t heard of his new movie Fall Guy, but I like most of his movies,” Rodgers said.
Gosling’s characters relate to people because of how authentic his portrayals of loneliness are or how over the top his performance as Ken was.
