Movies July 11, 2023
Margot Robbie & Ryan Gosling on ‘Barbie’ Movie and ‘Kenergy’ (Exclusive)
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are living the perfect life in a perfect world in their wild new big-screen adventure, “Barbie.”
The stars sat down with “Extra’s” Melvin Robert recently to talk about their highly anticipated summer movie, in which they play Barbie and Ken.
“It was literally crafted to be for everyone,” said Margot on the film being for all ages. “There is a big party, and everyone is invited. There are some pretty profound conversations happening at the same time. And everyone dances in it.”
Margot told “Extra” that Ryan was the perfect guy to bring the “Kenergy” alongside her role as Barbie, though some bribery was needed to convince him to take the part.
“Ryan was our dream choice for this role. I said, ‘I will give you a present every single day if you come do this movie,’ and I think that was the deal clincher.”
So, what kind of gifts did Ryan get from Margot?
“Puka shells. Beach-related things, horse mats, sports books,” said the star of “The Notebook.” “I would go to my trailer [and] I felt like I was in a Tommy Bahama store after a while.”
Margot added that the gifts took on a special meaning when she thought of Ryan’s kids. “Sometimes I was wrapping a present and I was like, ‘I want this,’ then I realized it was definitely going to his daughters and then it had renewed purpose. I was like, ‘What are they going to like?’ So there were some more stickers.”
“Oh, I kept the stickers!” said Ryan, who shares daughters Esmeralda, 8, and Amada Lee, 7, with longtime partner Eva Mendes.
“They have a few Kens tossed around,” the actor said about his kids. “They came to set and were behind the camera and were my coaches. They are very supportive.”
When he was in costume as Ken, he explained, “I think they were a little confused, but they were so supportive.”
So how does Ryan define “Kenergy”?
“There’s very little known about Kenergy. We don’t have the funding for the research. We know that its real,” Ryan joked. “In my case, it came on like a rash and it turned into a tan. And then suddenly you’re shaving your legs and bleaching your hair. And you’re wearing bespoke neon Rollerblades, so I don’t know.”
The two Oscar nominees are teaming up again for an “Ocean’s Eleven” prequel that Robbie is producing.
“Margot’s like the real Danny Ocean putting those heists, aka films, together,” said Ryan on their special partnership.
“I love working with Ryan,” added Margot, revealing that meeting the “La La Land” actor had always been on her bucket list.
She added, “We had met before, and I always got good Kenergy vibes. He’s a good guy.”
While Margot was always a fan of Gosling, it was a different story with Barbie. There were no Barbie dolls for Robbie to play with growing up in Australia.
“My sister definitely did [have them]. And I wasn’t allowed to touch them. And my cousin had a box of Barbies.”
Ryan added, “This is like a giant revenge?” And Margot replied, “That’s all this movie is. Getting back at my sister.”
“Barbie” hits theaters July 21.