Credit: Warner Bros.In one of the first trailers for the already-iconic Barbie movie, Simu Liu (Ken) challenged Ryan Gosling (also Ken) to a beach-off.
It’s unclear what exactly a beach-off is, beyond an obvious (and funny) sexual innuendo, since Barbie gets between them before they can genuinely beach each other off. Still, it seems to be some elaborate dance competition in which Kens – whose jobs are famously just “beach” – tries to determine who is the superior Ken.
Related: This Barbie Comes With a Nuke: Tom Cruise Recommends ‘Oppenheimer’ Double Feature
If that competition is as much about performing impressive physical stunts as we think it is, then Simu Liu just threw major shade at Ryan Gosling’s Ken on the Pink Carpet.
“I won’t name any names, but one of the Kens in this movie can backflip, and the of the Kens cannot, and um… it’s a very important part of the story.”
The video shot showed a very sheepish, insulted-looking Ryan Gosling kicking the floor and looking down, indicating that it is, in fact, he who cannot do the backflip.
Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu tease their Kens’ rivalry in #Barbie movie 💖
The Kenistry is off the charts! 📈 Are you Team Backflip Ken or Team Sad Sunglasses Ken? 🤸♂️😎
Ryan and Simu dropped by #Kenada (aka Canada 🇨🇦) to hype us up for the Barbie movie! 💖#BarbieTheMovie is out… pic.twitter.com/OhCYkEtFuD
— Etalk (@etalkCTV) June 29, 2023
Related: What Is “Big Ken Energy?” Margot Robbie and Issa Rae of ‘Barbie’ Explain
He confirmed this when he said:
“And as a result of that, one of the Kens has a deep well of pain and sadness.”
It looks like Ryan Gosling’s poor Ken may have a deep well of pain and sadness regardless – while the Barbie movie may be about Barbie, Ken has his own story too, one Gosling has been very keen on telling. Some of the film’s earliest viewers have said that Ken nearly steals the show in the film, meaning that not only does he have his own plotline – it is substantial.
Given the filmmakers’ stances on gender equality and inclusion in general, this isn’t surprising. Those in charge have hesitated to label Barbie as a “feminist film” because, in the words of Margot Robbie, “it’s not that it is or it isn’t. It’s a movie.”
What Do Ryan Gosling and the Other Kens Do in BarbieLand?
Related: Ryan Gosling Crashed a Barbie-Only Sleepover In The Most Hilarious Way
In BarbieLand, the Barbies have all the jobs that, in our world, traditionally go to men. The Kens, meanwhile, are the ideal childless homemakers – their only job is to look pretty and have an excellent time. This structure in Barbie’s world is incredibly important, as it creates a sort of reversed caricature of the ideals of the world the doll was made in.
Focusing entirely on Barbie and leaving Ken behind in a movie meant to explore the whole Barbie concept would be a disservice to everything Ken represents and, by extension, the entire Barbie franchise. The fact that Ken is an accessory to Barbie will undoubtedly be an important part of the mirror they’re trying to hold up to society in BarbieLand.
Hopefully, throughout the film, Ryan Gosling’s Ken will come to find things that are more important to him than his ability to do backflips.
We’ll find out when Barbie finally hits theaters on July 21.
What do you think will be the significance of Ken backflips in Barbie? Tell Inside the Magic in the comments below.