The 'Barbie' film shares a first look at Ryan Gosling as Ken

Life in plastic, it's fantastic

Cue up some Aqua, the upcoming Barbie movie has released another photo and it's of Ken. Ryan Gosling, who plays Barbie’s shiny plastic boyfriend in the film, set the internet alight when his casting news was first announced. He’s back at it again now that a picture of him in costume has dropped. 

Warner Bros. tweeted a picture of Gosling as Ken, complete with bleached blonde hair, a ripped denim vest and Ken-branded underwear. He smiled for the camera as he leaned against a hot pink column and if the home behind him is any indication, it looks like he may have been at Barbie’s pink Dreamhouse. 

Fans of Gosling were quick to react online, with one user calling Gosling “actually perfect” for the role of Ken.

Others also noted the striking resemblance between Gosling’s Ken and another blonde heartthrob: Fred Jones from Scooby Doo, played by Freddie Prinze Jr. in the live-action films.

One viral tweet read, “Freddie Prinze Jr’s Fred walked so Ryan Gosling’s Ken could run.”

The upcoming Barbie movie will be directed by Greta Gerwig, the mind behind successful films such as Little Women and Lady Bird - hopefully promising a witty feminist take on the iconic doll. Aside from Gosling, the cast list is pretty massive with stars such as Margot Robbie as the titular character, alongside Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu, Sex Education stars Emma Mackey and Ncuti Gatwa, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera and more. 

Photos of Robbie as Barbie have previously been released, with the actor photographed in a bright pink convertible Chevy and sporting a blue polkadot headband. 

Details about the plot of the film have been slim on the ground, however Liu revealed in a recent GQ interview that an agent told him, “If I could stake my career on any one script, it’s the Barbie script.”

He also teased in the same interview there would be some dancing in the film, adding it was “incredibly unique” and “crazy” - though he couldn’t say much more. 

Barbie is set to be released in theatres on July 21, 2023.