'There is no Ken without Barbie.'
Ryan Gosling received his third Oscar nomination for his role as Ken in Barbie, but the actor has spoken out to share how bittersweet the nomination felt in light of the film's major category snubs.
Gosling earned a nod for Best Supporting Actor when the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning -- following his Best Actor nods in 2006 and 2016 for Half Nelson and La La Land, respectively -- however, he shared in a statement with ET that the recognition felt incomplete when co-star Margot Robbie and filmmaker Greta Gerwig were snubbed in the Best Actress and Best Director, categories, respectively.
"I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films," Gosling said in a statement to ET. "And I never thought I'd being saying this, but I'm also incredibly honored 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," he continued. "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."
Simu Liu, who also portrayed one of the Kens in Barbie, also spoke out in defense of Gerwig and Robbie.
"Being involved in a small way gave me a window into just how hard Greta and Margot had to fight to get Barbie made, and how flawlessly they executed," he posted to X (formerly Twitter). "Together they started a movement, touched the world and reinvigorated the cinema. They deserve everything. They ARE everything."
For her part, Robbie is nominated as a producer of the film in the Best Picture category, however, Gosling paid tribute to both Robbie and Gerwig's integral role in crafting Barbie, which went on to become the highest-grossing film ever from a female filmmaker at the domestic box office, as well as the top-earning worldwide film of 2023, with nearly $1.5 billion to date.
"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," he shared. "Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees. 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."
Ferrera received a career-first nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role as Gloria, one of the film's human characters who ventures to BarbieLand. However, the actress also shared that her nomination was tinged with disappointment due to Robbie and Gerwig's snubs.
"I was incredibly disappointed that they weren't nominated," Ferrera said in a statement to Variety. "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."
As producer and star, Robbie championed Barbie every step of the way, including presenting Ferrera with the #SeeHer Award at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards last week.
"What Margot achieved as an actress is truly unbelievable," Ferrera said of Robbie's performance. "One of the things about Margot as an actress is how easy she makes everything look. And perhaps people got fooled into thinking that the work seems easy, but Margot is a magician as an actress in front of the screen, and it was one of the honors of my career to get to witness her pull off the amazing performance she did. She brings so much heart and humor and depth and joy and fun to the character. In my book, she's a master."
Barbie did make Oscars history as one of three films directed by a woman to earn a Best Picture nod this year, which Ferrera said is cause for its own celebration.
"Women filmmakers telling all different kinds of stories that resonate in different ways in the culture is the goal," she noted. "I would love to see even more female-directed movies on the list and to see more female directors acknowledged for making the best cinema of the year."
The 96th Academy Awards will be presented live from the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. PT on ABC. Until then, keep checking ETonline.com for complete Oscars coverage.
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