Despite what we’ve heard over and over again this summer, Ryan Gosling isn’t just Ken. In addition to being an accomplished actor, gifted singer and dancer, the Barbie star is also a dad. While it sounds like his daughters haven’t seen his sublime film yet, he revealed that they got a front-row seat as he prepared for his biggest on-screen moments in Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar blockbuster. And the story he shared about the behind-the-scenes support they gave him is Ken-ough to make anyone’s heart melt.
When Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes set out to start their family, they probably didn’t imagine that he would end up portraying one of their future daughters’ favorite toys on the big screen. However, sometimes life is more surreal than fiction, and that’s the exact situation Gosling found himself in while filming Barbie. During the film’s press junket this summer, he and Margot Robbie discussed their history with the iconic toy franchise. While Robbie admitted she wasn’t always a Barbie girl, Gosling told People that thanks to his kids, he had some recent real-life experiences to draw his Ken-ergy from:
Barbie has kind-of always been there, but not - like on the periphery. And now obviously it’s like part of my day-to-day life because I have two kids. They have been super supportive and so helpful and there’s one scene in particular, which at the end of the film, there was something I had to prepare a lot for. And so they were at home while I was doing it, and they ended up… they knew it as well as I did. So they came to set the day I did it, and they were behind the camera, and they were almost like my coaches. It was pretty cool.
Gosling didn’t reveal exactly what Barbie scene his daughters helped him prepare for, but it sounds like it involved a lot of practice. If I had to guess, I’d say they had a hand in helping him nail the choreography for his elaborate “I’m Just Ken” musical sequence. And if that’s the case, it’s understandably why he would have needed all the support he could get. It’s also especially adorable picturing Gosling having two little coaches on set with him making sure he nailed every move.
Ryan Gosling isn’t the only person for whom Barbie is a family affair. Countless people have found a lot of meaning in sharing the film with their families – CinemaBlend staff members included! But it turns out that even though they played an important role in helping him embrace his inner Ken, the La La Land star's kids have yet to see the entire movie. He told ET:
They've seen a lot pieces of [the film], and helped me a lot with it. They were a huge inspiration for me. … I might like, you know, just hold off on them seeing the full Ken energy.
At first, it’s a little surprising to think that the children of Ken himself didn’t score tickets to Barbie. However, given that they’re 8 and 7, respectively, it makes a little more sense. Gwerwig's movie is pretty family-friendly, but it’s still PG-13, and it has some more mature themes. So, it’s totally understandable if Gosling and Mendes want to wait until their kids are a bit older before they get to see their dad drinking brewskie beers in his Mojo Dojo Casa House.
The good news is that by the time Gosling and Mendes are ready to show their kiddos Barbie, it will probably be easy for them to kick back and watch it as a family. There’s still no word on exactly when people with a Max subscription will be able to enjoy one of the biggest 2023 movie releases from home. But after absolutely smashing it at the box office this summer, Greta Gerwig’s instant classic looks to be headed home video in a matter of weeks.
