A video has resurfaced of Ryan Gosling and co-star Simu Liu sharing a tense moment on the red carpet at the film’s press day in last month. Photos / X
A video has resurfaced of Ryan Gosling and co-star Simu Liu sharing a tense moment on the red carpet at the film’s press day in last month. Photos / X
It’s a classic case of when fiction morphs into reality: these Kens don’t seem particularly fond of each other.
Amid the ongoing Barbie-mania following the release of Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster film, a clip has resurfaced showing Ryan Gosling, who portrays Ken in the film, brushing off his co-star Simu Liu - who also plays Ken - at a press day in Canada last month.
As the two posed for pictures on the red carpet, Liu went to slip his arm around Gosling’s waist.
Gosling seemingly wasn’t happy about the gesture and appeared to say: “Don’t hold me there, man. I mean, do you want me to touch you like that?”
Liu responded, saying: “You don’t what – oh, it’s too tender? Fair enough,” before moving his arm away from Gosling.
Of course, fans addressed the awkward moment on social media.
Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu attend the Canadian press day for 'Barbie' on June 28, 2023. Photo / Getty Images
“Oh, I’d literally never show my face again,” one user quipped on X, while another wrote, “He [Gosling] was so mad after, like, you can see it in his face.”
Others have weighed in on the scene, theorising that Gosling and Liu were in character, playing up their roles as rivalling Kens in the film.
“I think it’s their characters playing like they hate each other ‘cause they are in competition with each other in the movie,” one fan shared. “It ain’t that deep.”
Gosling has garnered critical acclaim for his role as the quirky male sidekick in the new Barbie film.
However, before the movie hit cinemas, the actor was forced to defend himself against trolls claiming he was “too old” to play Ken.
Ryan Gosling, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Ncuti Gatwa as Ken in Barbie. Photo / Warner Bros.
“I would say, you know, if people don’t want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with,” he told GQ in an interview last month, going on to say that he thought the negative discourse over Ken was “funny” seeing as people didn’t even think about Ken before he was cast in the role.
“But suddenly, it’s like, ‘No, we’ve cared about Ken this whole time’,” he shared. “No, you didn’t. You never did. You never cared. Barbie never f***ed with Ken. That’s the point.”
The Notebook actor concluded, “If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. So your hypocrisy is exposed. This is why his story must be told.”
Barbie, which stars Margot Robbie as the iconic blonde Mattel doll, has already soared at the box office.
The feminist flick has broken records after making more than $300 million (NZ$486m) in ticket sales around the world, according to Deadline.
