Remember the days when Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling were fiercely—and we do mean fiercely—private about their relationship? Well, those days seem to be over now. (And we’re happy about it!)
Ryan Gosling was nominated for an Oscar yesterday for his role as Ken in the film Barbie, which should be one of the happiest moments of his professional career. Unfortunately for Gosling, his Best Supporting Actor nomination comes alongside a snub for the movie’s director, Greta Gerwig (who many expected to receive a Best Director nod), and Margot Robbie, who played the titular character—expected by many to be nominated for Best Actress. The irony of a man receiving the nod with the women getting shunned, especially when that movie is Barbie, was not lost on the (angry) world yesterday. (In all fairness, America Ferrera—who played Gloria in the film—was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and the film itself was nominated for a total of eight Oscars, including Best Picture.)
Both Gosling and Ferrera—who, again, are deserving and shouldn’t have to feel bittersweet about their success—both spoke out against Gerwig and Robbie’s respective shutouts. But now it’s Mendes’ turn to speak out in defense of Gosling, which she did on Instagram today.
Mendes screenshot a Rolling Stone article with the provocative headline “Sorry to Be the One to Say It, but Ryan Gosling Is Giving Major Cringe as Ken in ‘Barbie.’” That apparently touched a nerve with Gosling’s longtime partner Mendes (who also shares two daughters with the actor), as she commented “So proud of my man. So much hate when he took on this role. So many people trying to shame him for doing it. Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious, heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to the Oscars.”
She signed off, beautifully, “So beyond proud to be this Ken’s Barbie.”
Give it to Mendes for giving us the bit of romantic uplift that we didn't know we needed.
Truly, it’s incredibly unfortunate that Gosling’s shine has to be dimmed because of the Academy’s snubs—as he is deserving of his moment. As is Ferrera, who commented on Mendes’ post, adding three hand clap emojis and writing “He is brilliant as Ken! Pulled off a triple somersault performance! We’re so lucky it was him and I’m so grateful for the way he showed up with his super stardom, and continues to show up to support all the women in this process!! He is a class act and insanely deserving and talented.”
Here's the thing, friends: we can be upset about Gerwig and Robbie but also excited for the deserving Gosling and Ferrera. We can have all things. They’re not mutually exclusive.
And Gosling clearly knows—through his partner’s supportive post and the support of females around him during the filming of Barbie including but certainly not limited to the one-two-three power punch of Gerwig, Robbie, and Ferrera—that women run the world. After all, he and Mendes are raising two daughters to do just that someday. Let the man have his flowers, his moment, and maybe, just maybe, his Oscar.
