We hate to say it, Barbie, but Ryan Gosling's Ken is riddled with red flags. At least, that's what people are saying in response to the latest trailer for the upcoming Barbie film. Ken, as we all know, is the boyfriend doll popularly sold alongside Mattel's Barbie, and we can't wait to see the toys come to life in Greta Gerwig's long-awaited comedy-fantasy Barbie film.
While we know the film will depict the journey of Barbie – played by Margot Robbie – as she enters the "real world", less has been known thus far about Ken's plot line.
However, a new teaser trailer, which depicts Ryan Gosling, as Ken, performing a dramatic monologue about what it's like to be “Just Ken” suggests a little more about what we might expect. And, reader, it looks like Barbie's squeaky-clean, smiling sidekick might be a little more than we'd bargained for…
“I just don't know who I am anymore,” Gosling as Ken laments, before breaking into a poignant ballad about how it “Doesn't seem to matter what I do/I'm always number two” interspersed with shots of Ken looking on at Margot Robbie's Barbie as she enjoys herself on the dance floor.
Now consider, if you will, a popular fan theory, put forward by YouTuber Modern Gurlz on Twitter, which suggests ‘ken is DEFINITELY going to be a villain’.
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"I'd bet that after going to the "real world" he learns misogyny & brings toxic masculinity back to barbieland where he proceeds to become a dictator eventually resulting in the barbie's teaming up to stop him [sic]," the tweet continues.
The theory continues in a later tweet, where the @ModernGurlzz account cites the evidence of a giant “Kendom” sign in the air that features in the trailer (suggesting Barbie Land has been taken over), together with a sexist comment that Ken makes to a female doctor in an earlier trailer where he says “But I'm a man”.
Several people on Twitter have commented in agreement with the theory.
“OH KEN IS GETTING A VILLAIN ARC”, wrote @filmsrobbie, while @MelissaEnchat also concluded that a villain plot seems likely on account of Ken's “rebellious outfit” (of a long fur coat and bandana get-up) and the PR events surrounding the release: “HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE NUMBER 2!”. Is this what's behind the “Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse - Ken's Way” listed on AirBnB, for instance: with Ken's takeover representing an insidious plot?
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As for Ryan Gosling, he's remained fairly tight-lipped as to his character's plot line. However, there are definite hints at Ken's insecurity in an interview Gosling did with GQ last month.
“His job is beach. For 60 years, his job has been beach. What the f*ck does that even mean?,” Gosling comments earlier on in the interview, which originally appeared in GQ's June/July 2023 issue.
Later on, he adds: "And everyone was fine with that, for [Ken] to have a job that is nothing. But suddenly, it’s like, ‘No, we’ve cared about Ken this whole time.’ No, you didn’t. You never did. You never cared…nobody cared about Ken… This is why his story must be told.”
Read into that what you will…
Barbie is out in UK cinemas from 21 July 2023.
