‘Barbie’ Gave Ryan Gosling ‘Less Options’ for Clothes Than Margot Robbie Because ‘No One Cares About Ken, They Just Want to Play With Barbie’

When it came to designing and creating the costumes for Greta Gerwigs Barbie movie, the focus was put far more on Margot Robbies eponymous doll than it was on Ryan Goslings Ken. As the films costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, recently told Vogue UK, No one cares about Ken, everybody just wants to play with Barbie. He matches Barbie and changes too but he has very, very, many less [clothes] options.

Durran, who won an Oscar for her costume designs on Gerwigs Little Women adaptation, said colorful 80s sportswear was the key to Kens looks in the movie.

Retro sportswear is one area where we did a lot of shopping for Ken, Durran said. He is sporty. Thats his main thing. We had buyers in America that went to dealers and imported it for us because we needed so much of it.

Durran said her design team only had 11 weeks of prep to making everything before Barbie filming got underway. The team was still creating costumes while Gerwig was shooting, which is how Goslings pitch to create a Ken-branded set of underwear was able to be approved and worked into the movie.

We just rushed to make it, Durran said.

Gosling is well aware that no one cares about Ken, which was part of the allure of accepting the part. His casting was met with some resistance from certain Barbie fans who claim hes too old to play Ken at 42 years old. Gosling told off his critics during an interview with GQ magazinelast month.

It is funny, Gosling said, this kind of clutching-your-pearls idea of, like, #notmyken. Like you ever thought about Ken before this?

Gosling noted that Kens entire existence has been to just enjoy the beach and not really exist for any sake other than to be Barbies guy.

And everyone was fine with that, for him to have a job that is nothing, Gosling said. But suddenly, its like, No, weve cared about Ken this whole time. No, you didnt. You never did. You never cared. Barbie never fucked with Ken. Thats the point. 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 opens in theaters July 21 from Warner Bros.