Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu opened up about playing Kens in “Barbie,” what their sexual “Kenergy” was like in the film and much more in a pink-carpet interview in Toronto with Narcity's Brooke Houghton and Josh Elliott. Liu also joked about his Ken doll while Gosling introduced us to his sister Mandi, whom he described as the original Barbie.
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00:00 You know, I think Ken is just happy to be a part of the narrative.
00:03 That's all.
00:05 There is definitely tension between the Ryans, you know.
00:08 Is it a rivalry? Is it something more?
00:10 Ryan, I'm curious.
00:12 Oh no.
00:12 Were you good to her Barbies?
00:14 She didn't have Barbies.
00:15 Really?
00:16 She was too busy being Barbie.
00:17 Well, I gotta ask.
00:20 Very generous.
00:20 It's true. She ruled the school.
00:23 Oh really?
00:24 Yeah. She had more meetings than classes.
00:26 She walked me to school safely.
00:29 And she was the president of that school.
00:30 So I have to know.
00:32 What Toronto-inspired items would your Ken doll come with?
00:35 Did you guys manage to sneak any Canadian items into Ken Dome or Barbie Land?
00:39 God, that's a good question.
00:42 I wish I had a better answer for you.
00:43 We should have.
00:45 Like, there's a lot of horse imagery in like Ken Dome.
00:48 And I think I should have...
00:49 We should have snuck a moose in there.
00:51 It's too late though.
00:52 It's too late.
00:53 You can't go back now.
00:54 I can't go back.
00:55 We can't reshoot the movie.
00:56 That's fair.
00:57 Okay, so for your Ken doll, what three Toronto-inspired items are you bringing?
01:00 Toronto-inspired items.
01:04 It's probably all food.
01:06 It's like poutine, a Jamaican beef patty, and roti.
01:08 Delicious.
01:09 My Ken will be very large.
01:11 He will be very round.
01:12 He's large and in charge with the Kennergy.
01:14 Yeah, that's right.
01:15 I hear this was entirely a real set.
01:17 Or at least more real than usual.
01:19 And I'm curious.
01:20 You know, I'd love to hear what you thought of the set.
01:22 But I know you've got little girls too.
01:23 And I'm curious what they thought of the set if they got to see it.
01:27 It was very surreal.
01:28 It was like one Christmas I was building a Barbie dream house.
01:31 And then the next, I was in it.
01:33 I'm still not sure it happened.
01:36 So you and Ryan Gosling's Ken have some serious sexual Kennergy in the trailer.
01:42 Is that explored at all in the movie?
01:44 Is that explored?
01:45 That is a really...
01:47 Let me think about this.
01:49 There is definitely tension between the Ryans, you know.
01:54 Is it a rivalry?
01:54 Is it something more?
01:55 I will...
01:56 You definitely...
02:00 Let's say this.
02:00 Whatever goes on between us definitely comes to a head in the climax of the movie.
02:05 And in order for, you know, there's only one way for people to know what that is.
02:09 And that's by buying a ticket and seeing it when it comes out of theaters.
02:13 So do we have an enemies to lovers arc?
02:16 I think in a manner of speaking, absolutely.
02:21 Absolutely.
02:21 But you know, what's really great is that, you know,
02:25 Ryan has a Ken doll and my character also has a Ken doll.
02:28 And so people can buy our Ken dolls and make them do whatever they want.
02:33 Whatever their imagination will allow for them.
02:37 You know, if you're not satisfied with the ending of the movie, you know,
02:42 write one for yourself and, you know, use our dolls.
02:47 I love it.
02:47 Full permission.
02:48 You said, you know, everybody's into Barbie.
02:51 They don't have with Ken.
02:53 After this movie, you've told this story.
02:55 So I'm curious, are the women going to have with Ken?
02:58 Are the men going to have with Ken?
02:59 You know, I think Ken is just happy to be a part of the narrative.
03:03 That's all.
03:06 His sole job in life is just to admire the awesomeness of Barbie.
03:11 It's a great job.
03:12 But, you know, he doesn't, you know, other than that, I'm not sure.
03:17 He's, he questions his Ken or Jake.
03:21 Where, what's its source?
03:23 Where is it best spent?
03:24 You know.
03:25 So I want to know, so Barbie Land eventually transforms into KenDoll.
03:30 We see this from the trailer.
03:31 What are the biggest changes when Ken start running the show?
03:34 Oh, yeah, so many.
03:36 Just get so much better, you know.
03:38 No, yeah, Ken's kind of get their hands on the Barbie Dreamhouse.
03:43 And, you know, the results on, if I'm honest, are not great.
03:46 Ken's are not known for their interior design prowess.
03:50 And in fact, all of their design inspirations for this KenDoll come from just like misguided
03:55 interpretations of what manliness is.
03:58 So it's like a lot of mini fridges and beer and and horse paraphernalia, like a lot of
04:03 horse imagery, because, you know, for whatever reason, you know, we get it in our heads that
04:08 horses equals manliness.
04:10 And the more horses you ride, the manlier you are.
04:14 And and so just horses are everywhere.
04:16 They're riding in slow motion on the flat screen TVs.
04:19 They're like horse sculptures.
04:21 Everyone's somehow dressed like a cowboy.
04:24 Yeah, it's like someone it's like someone broke and telephoned what being a man was.
04:29 And the Ken's got it like 700 people down.
04:32 And we're just like, OK, great.
04:33 We're going to do that.