Barbie’s Ryan Gosling is sharing his frustration over Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s Oscar snubs after receiving his own Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as Ken.
“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,” Gosling, 43, shared in a Tuesday, January 23, statement. “To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.”
He 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 recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.”
Despite being upset for Robbie and Gerwig, Gosling — who is now a three-time Oscar nominee — noted that he is “extremely honored” to be recognized by the Academy alongside “such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films.” (Gosling was previously nominated for Best Actor in 2006 for Half Nelson and in 2016 for La La Land.)
“I never thought I’d be saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken,” he added, also giving his congratulations to Barbie costar and Best Supporting Actress nominee America Ferrera “and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”
Barbie scored a total of eight Oscar nominations on Tuesday, including two Best Original Song nods for “I’m Just Ken” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” Gerwig and husband Noah Baumbach, meanwhile, earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination. The film is also up for Best Picture alongside Anatomy of a Fall, American Fiction, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest.
Gerwig, however, was passed over in the Best Director category, while Robbie, 33, was not listed in the Best Actress category for her performance as the titular role despite the film’s box office and critical success.
Upon receiving her own nomination for her role as Gloria in the film, Ferrera, 39, echoed Gosling’s sentiments on Tuesday, telling Entertainment Weekly that she was “sad and disappointed” at Gerwig and Robbie’s snubs.
“Their work in both of those categories was phenomenal, and in my book, [they] deserve to be acknowledged for the history they made, for the ground they broke, for the beautiful artistry,” Ferrera said. “They’re my girls, and I want to see them celebrated for their amazingness, so that part of it is definitely bittersweet.”
