‘Barbie’ Cast Isn’t Happy With Oscars Misogyny

Just weeks ago, the Barbie (2023) cast dealt with an onslaught of sexist jokes from Golden Globe Awards host Jo Koy. This week, fans of the Mattel Cinematic Universe film felt slighted by another awards show, the Oscars, and Barbie actors stood with them.

The Academy nominated Ryan Gosling (Ken) for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Barbie for Best Picture. They didn’t nominate Margot Robbie (Barbie) for Best Actress in a Leading Role or Greta Gerwig for Best Director. Social media was flooded with messages from fans disappointed by the decision to exclude the two women responsible for Barbie’s success while nominating the movie’s lead male star. Many joked that the Academy Awards completely missed the point of the feminist film.

Two Barbie leads, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera (Gloria), spoke out just hours after the Oscars announced the 2024 nominees. In a statement obtained by NBC News, Gosling said he was beyond disappointed that the Academy snubbed his female associates.

“I’m extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films,” Gosling began. “And 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.”

“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,” the Best Supporting Actor nominee 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… Their work should be recognized.”

Gosling congratulated Ferrera, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. But Ferrera, a first-time Oscar nominee, also expressed disappointment about Robbie and Gerwig’s exclusion.

“I was incredibly disappointed that they weren’t nominated,” the Best Supporting Actress nominee told 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.”

“What Margot achieved as an actress is truly unbelievable,” Ferrera added. “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 received eight total Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Gosling and Ferrera’s nominations. The Warner Bros. film was nominated for Best Production Design (Sarah Greenwood), Best Costume Design (Jacqueline Durran), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Gerwig and Noah Baumbach).

Both “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For?” (Billie Eilish) were nominated for Best Original Song. The film’s “Barbenheimer” counterpart, Oppenheimer (2023), received 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director (Christoper Nolan).

The 96th Academy Awards air on March 20, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. EST.

What films do you think deserved an Oscar nomination? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.