Inspiration can be found in a myriad of different environments. It can be forged when you stare up at the skies on a starry night, when you climb mountains you never thought you could climb, when you\u2019re struck by the beauty of a passing dolphin as you glide through the deep sea. Or, it can be discovered when you spot a Ken doll in the mud. Next to a lemon. In your back yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Such was the divine inspiration that struck Ryan Gosling as he considered whether to accept the role of Ken in the upcoming Barbie<\/em> film following a call with director Greta Girwig. Not the stars, not the mountains, and not the dolphin. Just one innocent, dishevelled, neglected Ken Doll. The film\u2019s production hasn\u2019t been particularly conventional in any sense, from its 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em>-inspired teaser trailer to Gerwig\u2019s decision to write an abstract poem for the film treatment in the style of the Apostles\u2019 Creed (no, not the series of video games, the actual creed). Despite breaking the internet with the first promotional image of Gosling as the bleach-blonde Ken, the internet wasn\u2019t satisfied. Complaints started to surface questioning whether Gosling was too old to play the role. Gosling defiantly shot down the concerns in a GQ interview, citing the hypocrisy that supposed Ken fans never particularly cared about the doll before his casting despite their apparent outrage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And quite right too. Take a look back at Gosling\u2019s career (particularly his later career), and you\u2019ll find he\u2019s got more than enough skill to do the doll justice and resurrect him from his soiled, lemon-scented tomb. First, note that bleach blond hair. It may not be a look that Gosling\u2019s rocked much in his career, but it was alive and present in The Place Beyond the Pines<\/em>, particularly during the film\u2019s genius opening scene, where we only learn Luke\u2019s name after a sustained tracking shot of switchblade-wielding and silent focus as he broods then travels to his destination. The rest of Gosling\u2019s performance proves he\u2019s got the emotional clout that\u2019s required for the role. Sure, maybe Ken (official name: Kenneth Sean Carson) might not have all that much depth, but you can be sure that Gosling will provide it in spades nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Ken doesn\u2019t do a whole lot of moving in the film, that\u2019s fine too. The original Ken, \u2018Superstar Ken\u2019 as he was called, had arms which were both completely straight, and completely unbendable. The dude could only move his head left and right. Almost robotic. Gosling is a master of minimalism in terms of conveying loads with very little. Blade Runner 2049<\/em>, in which Gosling plays a literal robot, is perhaps his finest example (other particularly enigmatic performances include Drive<\/em>, Only God Forgives<\/em> and First Man<\/em>), where he emotes pain, sadness and loss with the subtlest of gestures. Also, it\u2019s difficult not to think of Gosling\u2019s Driver asking Irene: \u2018You wanna go for a ride?\u2019 in Drive, and not thinking it\u2019s fate that this is the exact question Ken asks Barbie at the start of Aqua\u2019s Barbie Girl<\/em>. Anyway. Again, the Ken we\u2019ll see on screen will likely not be quite as angst-ridden or psychologically tortured as Blade Runner 2049<\/em>\u2019s K or Driver, but we know he\u2019s got that cool robotic style down to an emotional tee whenever it\u2019s required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbie<\/em> also isn\u2019t Gosling\u2019s first rodeo when it comes to dolls. He played an introverted man in love with a sex doll in Lars and the Real Girl<\/em>, a sweet and underrated drama where the actor shows he\u2019ll be at ease when it comes to interacting with artificial beings, even though it seems like Gerwig is going for a Truman Show<\/em> vibe with Barbie escaping into reality with Ken. But despite not being made of plastic, both Gosling and Robbie will doubtless be fantastic. And going back to that internet breaking picture in terms of the lighter side of things, it\u2019s hard not to remember Gosling\u2019s assured pick-up artist Jacob Palmer in Crazy Stupid Love<\/em>, particularly during the Dirty Dancing<\/em> scene with Emma Stone\u2019s iconic exclamation: \u2018It\u2019s like you\u2019re Photoshopped!\u2019 Gosling has plenty of comedic genius to make use of alongside his more serious performances, a combination of skills that look to be important in Gerwig\u2019s wider narrative. For more examples of Gosling\u2019s comedy chops, check out The Nice Guys<\/em>, Shane Black\u2019s underrated crime caper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to dive even deeper into Gosling\u2019s career, check out the \u2018Ryan Gosling Won\u2019t Eat His Cereal\u2019 vines. Beyond their comedic value, they\u2019re a good reminder of Gosling\u2019s versatility, albeit squashed into seven second clips. Ultimately, if you\u2019re looking for an actor who can portray heartfelt, poignant characters in lowkey arthouse films alongside louder, boisterous characters in more big budget commercial films, you\u2019d be hard pressed to find a more ideal candidate than Ryan Gosling. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Inspiration can be found in a myriad of different environments. It can be forged when you stare up at the skies on a starry night, when you climb mountains you never thought you could climb, when you\u2019re struck by the beauty of a passing dolphin as you glide through the deep sea. Or, it can … <\/p>\n