“I’m also incredibly honoured and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken. But there is no Ken without Barbie."
Ryan Gosling (YouTube)
In the aftermath of the recent Oscar nominations announcement, Ryan Gosling, who secured a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Barbie, has voiced his disappointment over the Academy snubbing his co-star Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig.
ICYMI: While Gosling was nominated for his role, Margot did not receive a nom for Best Actress for her role as Barbie herself, while Gerwig failed to receive a nod for Best Director - despite Barbie being the highest-grossing film of 2023 and bringing in a whopping $1.44 billion.
However, Gerwig received a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination along with her husband and co-writer Noah Baumbach. Barbie is also nominated for Best Picture, making Robbie eligible for an Academy Award as a co-producer, even without a nomination in the Best Actress category.
While Gosling was thankful for his nomination for his role as Ken, he went on to highlight the importance of Robbie and Gerwig in the success of the film.
In a statement, he declared, “I’m also incredibly honoured and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken. But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film.”
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Ryan Gosling releases statement on Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwing not getting #Oscar nominations
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) January 23, 2024
"There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig or Margot Robbie ... No recognition would be possible without their talent, grit, and genius ...… pic.twitter.com/MUccOXq3ie
The absence of Gerwig and Robbie from the nominations in the Best Director and Best Actress categories, respectively, has stirred conversations and disappointment across social media, with many anticipating that Robbie and Gerwig would both secure nominations, given their major contributions to the wildly popular film.
“No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement,” Gosling continued.
“Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognised along with the other very deserving nominees.”
This marks the third time Gosling has been nominated for an Oscar after previously nominated for his roles in Half Nelson in 2006 and La La Land in 2016.
The nominees for Best Director are Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall), Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) and Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest).
Meanwhile, in the Best Actress category are Annette Bening (Nyad), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Carey Mulligan (Maestro) and Emma Stone (Poor Things).
I don't pay much attention to award shows.
— Jonathan Loves X-Men (@jonathan_eff) January 23, 2024
But Ryan Gosling getting a nomination and Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig NOT getting nominations feels like something happening in the Barbie movie to further illustrate the point of the Barbie movie. pic.twitter.com/T9uFEyiKOz
So the whole point of the barbie movie was to empower women and show that we are strong and capable in a very male dominated world, yet the leading actress and director wasn’t nominated for an Oscar???? Tell me you didn’t understand the meaning of the film without telling me. pic.twitter.com/YBA5vt34Om
— aims ⸆⸉ 🦋 IS SEEING TAYLOR SWIFT (@shimmeringtay13) January 23, 2024
Despite the snubs, Gosling extended his congratulations to other nominees, particularly acknowledging America Ferrera, who earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Barbie. The film itself garnered a total of eight nominations, including recognition for costume design, production design, and two original songs.
“Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film,” Gosling added.
In a Variety interview, Ferrera echoed Gosling’s sentiments, expressing her disappointment over Gerwig and Robbie’s omissions.
Regarding Gerwig, Ferrera praised her efforts, stating, “Greta has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve it. Creating this world, and taking something that didn’t have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list.”
Ferrera also lauded Robbie’s achievements as an actress, describing them as "truly unbelievable."