When the first trailer of Barbie came out and shared the first footage of Ryan Gosling as Ken, it was met with a polarizing response of people coming down hard on the actor’s age. Then once the movie came out, the critics who saw the comedy film felt Gosling stole the show, and his performance even landed him among this year’s Oscar nominees. With all of the positivity that’s come from the Canadian actor playing the Mattel Inc. doll, his real-life partner, Eva Mendes, called out all of the haters who ever doubted him.
The first time we caught a glimpse of Ryan Gosling as Ken, those holy abs and hair were on the minds of many fans. Seeing that tan and bleach blond hair led the chisel-ab Gosling to receive responses on social media creating a mockery of his new look. Barbie hadn't even been released in theaters yet and social media users were quick to question whether The Notebook actor was the right fit for the Greta Gerwig film. Luckily for Gosling, he’s got a Barbie of his own to give haters a piece of her mind, and a bunch of other celebrities cheered her on with A+ responses.
How Eva Mendes Responded to Ken Haters
A year later, Eva Mendes’ man is now an Oscar nominee because of his performance as Ken. But, it doesn't mean she's forgotten about those who gave flack to her partner before the film came out. She took to Instagram to show her pride in her Place Beyond the Pines co-star and called out those who didn’t think he could pull his performance off. Her bold caption states:
So proud of my man. So much hate when he took on this role. So many people trying to shame him for doing it. Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious,heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to Oscars. So beyond proud to be this Ken’s Barbie 💕
Look at Eva Mendes standing by her man! The Hitch actress has always been in support of Ryan Gosling since his first photos of Ken came out. In fact, she even created the perfect hashtag #Thatsmyken to show love for the Barbieland resident. Mendes also showed her support rocking a tee with Ken’s photo on it and defended Gosling’s platinum blonde hair for Barbie, arguing that he’s playing a doll and not a real person. The pride she has in the leading man of her life stands out so strongly ever since he got the part.
In her Instagram post, she threw back one of the first articles written by Rolling Stone back in 2022 describing Ryan Gosling’s look as Ken to give a “major cringe.” She also highlighted portions of the article that said hateful things about the Crazy Stupid Love actor, like how people will be “lining up for therapy appointments” after watching his performance, and how he looks like a “creepy, older West Hollywood” man. I’d like to hope anyone who had negative first impressions about Gosling as Ken is eating their words right now considering his name appearing amongst the nominees of many award shows.
Everyone Else’s Responses to Eva Mendes’ Post
After Eva Mendes published her bold post about her partner, a lot of A-listers chimed in support of the Training Day actress. Read below the A+ responses from America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Teresa Palmer, and more.
- America Ferrera: 👏👏👏 He is brilliant as Ken! Pulled off a triple somersault performance! We’re so lucky it was him and I’m so grateful for the way he showed up with his super stardom, and continues to show up to support all the women in this process!! He is a class act and insanely deserving and talented.
- Simu Liu: Feeling so lucky to have beached off with the best of them!! A class act and a frighteningly talented actor who leads by example. 🙌❤️ //
- Hannah Waddingham: This post is everything. Hear,Hear! X
- Padma Lakshmi: That was such a hard role to pull off! And he did so with flying colors and made it so much fun AND endearing. I walked out of the theatre with my daughter and immediately said ‘he should get an Oscar nod for this’. I’m so glad he did. What he did, without ego, is pure genius. 👏👏👏🙌🙌
- Teresa Palmer: He was incredible in it, an absolute standout and so deserving in his nom. Beautifully articulated statement too. Go Ryan! ❤️
- Camila Alves McConaughey: 👏👏👏
- Bella Thorne: 💗
With so many fans, Ryan Gosling isn’t short of love. The Lars and the Real Girl actor really did give it his all playing Ken. He was able to make us laugh, get angry, cry and sympathize with his character’s struggle of trying to define himself. With the strong transformation Gosling put into the part, it’s no wonder he’s getting Oscar attention.
While people may have been happy for the former Mickey Mouse Club member, we couldn’t help but think about the many Oscar snubs Barbie endured. Amid the eight Oscar nominations, Greta Gerwig was snubbed as director and the film’s lead Margot Robbie was practically “robbed” of a nomination too. The Best Supporting Actor nominee wasn’t happy about the news. In his response to his Barbie chums getting snubbed, he believed the Lady Bird director and Robbie were responsible for the Best Picture nominee breaking the records that it did, and that “there’s no Ken without Barbie.”
Even though it was a shame that Ryan Gosling got polarizing responses when he first appeared on the scene as Ken, it’s a good thing that Eva Mendes was there by his side through it all, and is still there now to defend him against any haters. While it wasn’t fair for his Barbie pals to get snubbed, at least the Remember the Titans actor will be at the Academy to represent the movie and the performance that had critics and fans sending praise for him. Barbie is available to watch now on your Max subscription.
