Ryan Gosling has a profound explanation for why he wanted to play Ken

"He's an accessory. And not even one of the cool ones."
By Sam Haysom  on 
A man looks at a photo of himself with bleached blonde hair and an open denim jacket.
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When the first photos of Ryan Gosling as a shirtless Ken doll in Greta Gerwig's upcoming Barbie movie dropped, the internet went understandably wild.

Ryan Gosling's reaction on The Tonight Show? Shock and mock outrage.

"I was surprised that some people were clutching their pearls about my Ken, as though they ever thought about Ken for a second before this," says Gosling in the clip above, feigning anger. "They never played with Ken...He's an accessory, and not even one of the cool ones."

Gosling went on to say that after Greta Gerwig asked him to play the role, he went outside to give it some thought — only for the universe to give him a clear sign.

"I walk out into the back yard, and you know where I found Ken, Jimmy? Face down in the mud next to a squished lemon," says Gosling.

"I texted it to Greta and I said, 'I shall be your Ken. For his story must be told.'"

Mashable Image
Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.


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