'Barbie': Ryan Gosling Wants Greta Gerwig's New Film To Bring The "Ken-ergy"

Believe it or not, it’s been four years since Ryan Gosling last graced the silver screen. His last movie, “First Man,” Damien Chazelle‘s Neil Armstrong biopic, hit theaters in late summer 2018, and since then, Gosling’s taken some time away from acting. But Gosling is back in a big way in 2022. He co-stars in The Russo Brothers’ actioner “The Gray Man” with Chris Evans, in theaters this weekend and on Netflix next Friday. It’s the most expensive movie the streamer has ever made, with a $200 million budget.

READ MORE: Ryan Gosling Gets Bleached In New ‘Barbie’ First Look

But Gosling also has Greta Gerwig‘s “Barbie” on deck, where he stars alongside Margot Robbie as the iconic toy doll Ken. And from the stills Warner Bros. has released from the set, it looks like “Barbie” will be a wild, neon-soaked ride. Some have bristled at how audacious Gosling looks as Ken in the upcoming movie, but the actor claims he’s all for it. In fact, he wants Gerwig’s film to bring the “Ken-ergy,” whatever that means. In an interview with Vanity Fair for “The Gray Man,” Gosling mentioned how much he loved how transformation into Ken, which includes bleached hair and a spray-on tan. “I’ve waited my whole life to look like this,” he said. “I hope this starts a Ken-ergy movement. The Ken-ergy is going to be alive and well.”

So, what exactly is “Ken-ergy”? From the looks of things, it’s the aspiration to resemble the member of a boy band from the late ’90s or early ’00s. If the first still of Gosling as Ken that Warner Bros. released last month is the ur-text of Ken-dom, then “Ken-ergy” requires washboard abs, denim vests, and Calvin Klein underwear. There’s real metrosexual energy to this, or what one would expect to happen if the “Jersey Shore” bros decided they wanted to wear Canadian tuxedos exclusively.

It’s easy to rag on how Gosling looks in the upcoming film, but he’s in good hands with Gerwig at the helm of “Barbie.” She also co-writes the same with Noah Baumbach. It’s also pretty much confirmed at this point that Gosling isn’t the only Ken in “Barbie,” either. There are a bunch of other “Barbies” and “Kens’ listed in the cast credits, including Issa Rae and Hari NefSimu Liu, and Ncuti Gatwa. So, who knows what Gerwig has in store for audiences next year when the film releases?

“Barbie” also stars Michael CeraKate McKinnonWill FerrellRhea PerlmanAmerica FerreraAlexandra Shipp, and Emma Mackey.  Kingsley Ben-AdirEmerald FennellSharon Rooney, and Scott Evans are some of the other names in what looks to be an ever-expanding ensemble cast.

So, audiences: brace yourself for the “Ken-ergy” movement as “Barbie” approaches its release date next summer. Warner Bros. currently has the met set to hit theaters on July 21, 2023.