Ryan Gosling’s Ken-ification is nothing short of astonishing. Since it was revealed that The Big Short actor would be playing the iconic boyfriend of Barbie in her self-titled movie (lol), Gosling’s gradual transformation into full-time Ken has been a delight.
For someone who predominantly plays either a heart throb (The Notebook, La La Land, Crazy Stupid Love) or a bad boy (The Place Beyond the Pines, Drive, Gangster Squad), his seamless transition into a fake-tanned, pink-loving Ken has been remarkable.
And this goes beyond just the screen, Gosling is impersonating Ken's style even while out of character — most recently during the film's extensive worldwide press tour.
The cast of the film has been popping up in new locations regularly for the past few weeks to promote Barbie and this weekend saw the film hold its worldwide premiere in Los Angeles. So, it was only right that Gosling brought out all the stops.
The two-time Oscar nominee turned up in a full pink suit with a light pink shirt half unbuttoned to ensure everyone got a look at his custom accessory. Poking out from under the shirt was a necklace that featured the letter "E" in the same pink font as used for Barbie — honoring his partner Eva Mendes.
And the actor's transformation into a life-sized version of the lovable children's doll seems to go beyond even just his image. Last week, wearing a blue Gucci suit and pink shirt, the 42-year-old actor told a reporter that: "You are Kenough." Is Gosling's personality also being Ken-ified?
We're still a couple of weeks away from the release of Barbie (which is set to premiere in theaters across the US on July 21, 2023) and this is just the latest in a series of stunts that have seen Gosling go above and beyond to embody his character.
The actor has shown that he can't switch off his Ken-ergy (a word he invented), and it's resulted in a host of pink-hued outfits.
While on the Los Angeles leg of the Barbie press junket, the actor offered a more wearable take on his new pink-centric look.
Wearing an unbuttoned light pink and beige cardigan, black pants, and dress shoes, it was still giving Ken-ergy but without looking too much like fancy dress — something that his light blue suiting didn't quite manage.
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And who could forget a few months ago, at the Warner Bros. Pictures Studio's CinemaCon, when he wore a pleasingly plush pink Harrington-style jacket which was (of course) complemented with blonde-highlighted hair.
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Barbie has garnered a fair amount of press ever since it was announced. Most recently, Gosling's co-star, Margot Robbie was featured in an all-pink Vogue cover, the DreamHouse was listed on AirBnB, and Barbiecore continues to be a dominant trend for the summer.
That's all before we mention who else has been cast in the Greta Gerwig-directed movie — or, more to the point, who hasn’t?! Alongside Gosling and Robbie, the star-studded line-up also includes a myriad of names like Dua Lipa, John Cena, and Hari Nef, as well as actors like Helen Mirren, Will Ferrell, and Michael Cera, plus many, many (many) more.
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But amongst all the noise, watching Gosling's style transformation has been a personal highlight of the roll-out so far.
I'm dead excited to see how much more Ken-ification and "Ken-ergy" burning Gosling has left to do. Who knows, by the time the film releases the name Ryan could well be a thing of the past.
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