Greta Gerwig chose Ryan Gosling because of his SNL sketches
The director felt his “kenergie” and wanted to embark on the Barbie adventure.
Before being Ken, Ryan Gosling also survived a double abduction by aliens, slipped into the skin of a nymphomaniac pixie, a nerdy TV presenter and even a rock ‘n roll pied piper. In the sketches of Saturday Night Live, Of course. In “Henrietta & The Fugitive”he was trying to pluck the feathers from the chicken costume ofAidy Bryant to hide her from the cops Beck Bennett And Alex Moffat…a farm excursion far less enticing than the fairytale world of Barbie Land. A little more rudimentary too.
Far from the classic American late shows, the band of Saturday Night Live (also called Not Ready For Prime Time Playersliterally the “actors not ready for Prime Time”) invites celebrities who put on, for one evening, the cap of presenters and become the common thread of a program punctuated with satirical sketches and musical sequences. An entertainment show that has become cult, which does not hesitate to push parody (too far for some), but which brings together all the ingredients to reveal comic potential… like Ryan Gosling. Who also exploited it in the cinema, in Crazy Stupid Love Or The Nice Guys, For example. The director of Barbie, Greta Gerwighad also very quickly detected it:
“You know, there are actors in whom you feel they know what’s funny, and I always had that feeling with him”she said of Ryan Gosling during an appearance on the podcast SmartLessbefore entrusting: “I’m a big fan of all of his SNLs, always thought he was great.”
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Gerwig then revealed that she had written the character of Ken instinctively thinking of Gosling, even before meeting him, for real. So much so that she had no plan B for this coveted role. The director then recalled the beginnings of the film:
“When we gave them the script, the studio was like, ‘Oh, it’s wonderful that you know Ryan’. And I replied: ‘Oh, I don’t know Ryan. I never met Ryan, I have no idea’.”
The director of lady bird And The Daughters of Doctor March recalled one SNL sketch in particular, in which Gosling impersonated a relationship coach alongside the “Guy Who Just Bought a Boat” (Alex Moffat). Coincidence or not, he wore a pink shirt…
Barbie has been in theaters since July 19, 2023.
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