Ryan Gosling has broken his silence after it was revealed he was shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards for his role as Ken in the record-breaking hit, ‘Barbie’, despite his co-star and director being snubbed. Gosling effectively received two nods at this year’s awards, one for Supporting Actor, the other for Original Song for ‘I’m Just Ken’.
During the announcements made at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Hollywood, hosts Jack Quaid and Zazie Beetz revealed Gosling and co-star America Ferrera (Supporting Actress) as the only members of the Barbie movie to be nominated in the acting categories, with Margot Robbie missing out on a nod for Leading Actress.
The film’s director Greta Gerwig also failed to receive a nomination in the Directing category. Overall, Barbie received a total of eight nominations, including Best Picture.
Gosling has since released a statement to express his thoughts on his nomination and his colleagues’ snub. He said: “I am extremely honoured to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought I’d be saying this, but I’m also incredibly honoured and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken.
“But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film.
“No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.
“Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognised along with the other very deserving nominees.
“Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”
Barbie fans praised Gosling for his statement, claiming the Oscars “overlook” some of the “most deserving talents”. Chombe said: “Ryan Gosling makes a good point. There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film.”
CinemaBums wrote: “100000%. Spot on here by Ryan Gosling,” while Ankish commented: “The Oscars often overlook some of the most deserving talents, and it's a shame Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie weren't recognized this year despite their undeniable impact on the film.”
Actor Simu Liu, who also starred as Ken in the film, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Being involved in a small way gave me a window into just how hard Greta and Margot had to fight to get Barbie made, and how flawlessly they executed. Together they started a movement, touched the world and reinvigorated the cinema. They deserve everything. They ARE everything.”
For the full list of 96th Academy Award nominations, visit here.
