A lot of movies have been made from dubious sources — perhaps you remember there was a Monster Trucks movie — but the big screen Barbie motion picture appears to be legit. It’s directed by Greta Gerwig. She wrote it with her partner, Noah Baumbach. It’s got an all-star cast, and Margot Robbie, as the 63-year-old doll, looks perfect. Speaking of, on Wednesday Warner Bros. dropped the first look at her paramour, Ryan Gosling’s Ken, and not only does he look perfect, too, but it all but broke the internet.
https://t.co/LYDaBTcs21 pic.twitter.com/d5PHATvTH1
— hunter harris (@hunteryharris) June 15, 2022
Only a smattering of details have been made public about the movie, but it sounds wild. For one thing, there’s reportedly multiple Barbies and Kens, played by a diverse cast including Issa Rae, Simu Liu, future Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, and fashion’s first trans model Rae Hari Nef. That’s on top of it featuring Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, and America Ferrara, all suggesting this is far from a mere cash-in.
But when Warner’s dropped that photo of Gosling — bleach blonde, bronze abs under an open denim sleeveless, his character name written on his visible underwear — people pretty much lost it.
reader, i screamed https://t.co/IuqyeNxseO
— stilgar stan account (@victoriaedel) June 15, 2022
All I care about is Ryan Gosling as Ken. pic.twitter.com/FxbDicfoPl
— Alex Goldschmidt (@alexandergold) June 15, 2022
me anytime I see news about the barbie movie: https://t.co/JvZbSaoQvb pic.twitter.com/zihW4QOgh1
— Jake Baldino (@JakeBaldino) June 15, 2022
I feel obligated to alert the rest of you to what the gays are currently losing their shit over. https://t.co/J6ZxVQmaaO
— Daniel Summers (@WFKARS) June 15, 2022
this image is very pro pride month https://t.co/x71jZb71q1
— ashley ray🍦ice cream money out 3/1 (@theashleyray) June 15, 2022
Brb going back in the closet real quick so I can come out again for this https://t.co/nEnqP41ek3
— Randy Rainbow (@RandyRainbow) June 15, 2022
I BELIEVE IN CINEMA https://t.co/zq4KQ2P13b pic.twitter.com/BxtHe0GISa
— mora. (@gaaaaaaaaabo) June 15, 2022
Some honored the perennially hotcha Gosling, 41.
ryan gosling is and always has been extremely hot
— bethany (@fiImgal) June 15, 2022
Others honored his past work.
He’s been training for this since the Mickey Mouse Club. https://t.co/eZX4WjPUe2
— 🩷 Rebekah Weatherspoon Book Updates! 🩷 (@RdotSpoon) June 15, 2022
if you turn him around there’s a yellow scorpion on his back https://t.co/RwnYI83R1a
— ret (@rad_milk) June 15, 2022
https://t.co/JhlwUQirTS pic.twitter.com/RfxIFsKxeE
— Zangetsu_peixeira (@DEAR_DANTE) June 15, 2022
Only God Forgives 2 https://t.co/oD4CyTyZAM
— Stéphane Moïssakis (@smoissakis) June 15, 2022
Some welcomed the Nice Guys co-star’s return to comedy, at which he excels.
Incredible boyband aesthetic but I’m also excited for anything that pushes Gosling into comedy and out of his De Niro voice comfort zone https://t.co/tq32xT3R5B
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) June 15, 2022
Some saw similarities with another actor who went bleach blonde: Scooby Doo’s Freddie Prinze Jr.
Freddie Prinze Jr's Fred walked so Ryan Gosling's Ken could run pic.twitter.com/QZXzaXWx9h
— Pineapple Slice 🍍 (@bashful_michael) June 15, 2022
Not everyone dug it. But there were lots of jokes.
He looks like a tik toker with allegations https://t.co/ReV3pMR0g1
— jahrendontmiss 😤🦩 (@Jahrihanna) June 15, 2022
https://twitter.com/mootsheep/status/1537129880785022976
why would Ken even need underwear though https://t.co/ObSUse7rEp
— Imran Khan (@imranzomg) June 15, 2022
https://t.co/fgA0Vx5pBR pic.twitter.com/D6bgnxYtsF
— Jeremy Herbert (@DDayFilms) June 15, 2022
Not sure why anyone's making fun of this picture. I too used to write my name on my underwear during sleep-away camp https://t.co/z0zOC4qGCI
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) June 15, 2022
All gamers who base their personality on Gosling roles https://t.co/JFfhh0lTDD pic.twitter.com/eefKDuynDI
— Cody (@AltHistCody) June 15, 2022
I'm a Barbie girl.
Interlinked.
In a Barbie world.
Interlinked.
Life in plastic.
Plastic.
It's fantastic.
Interlinked. https://t.co/b3lGBpf1Td
— Count Dankula (@CountDankulaTV) June 15, 2022
a Ken who owes child support to two different women in Tampa https://t.co/gbRVD8yK1N
— Brandy Jensen (@BrandyLJensen) June 15, 2022
Barbie — which again is Gerwig’s follow-up to her hit adaptation of Little Women — isn’t due in theaters for another year-plus, on July 21, 2023.