Ryan Gosling Doesn’t Care if You Think He’s Too Old to Play Ken: ‘This Is a Guy Whose Job Is Beach'

There has been no small amount of fascination over the sprawling ensemble cast of the upcoming Barbie movie, which finally hits theaters on July 21. But specifically, it was Ryan Gosling being cast as leading man Ken at 42 following a four-year break from Hollywood, that really got people talking.

The hype reached a fever pitch when the first images of Gosling filming at Venice Beach alongside Margot Robbie hit the internet last summer in all their neon glory. However, after the first trailer for the film was released back in April, a small but vocal subset of (mostly younger) fans began grumbling that Gosling was "too old" to play Ken. (If anything, Gosling is too young, since Ken's official birthday is March 11, 1961.)

But Gosling doesn't care what anyone thinks. In a new GQ profile, the actor defended his casting and explained why he, particularly as a father of two daughters, was the ideal choice to play Ken.

"I did see him, like, face down in the mud outside one day, next to a squished lemon," Gosling quipped. “And it was like, 'This guy’s story does need to be told, you know?'"

Later in the interview, Gosling specifically addressed the backlash.

"I would say, you know, if people don’t want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with," he said. "It is funny. This kind of clutching-your-pearls idea of, like, #notmyken. Like you ever thought about Ken before this? This is a guy whose job is beach."

“And everyone was fine with that, for him to have a job that is nothing," Gosling continued. "But suddenly, it’s like, ‘No, we’ve cared about Ken this whole time.’ No, you didn’t. You never did. You never cared. Barbie never fucked with Ken. That’s 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."

He added that playing the role gave him a sense of empathy for the plastic doll's plight. "I care about this dude now. I’m like his representative," he added. "'Ken couldn’t show up to receive this award, so I’m here to accept it for him.'"

Just show us an actor who will play Ken with more conviction than this. You can watch Gosling shine as the plastic leading man in the Barbie main trailer, below.