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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00:00You know, I think Ken is just happy to be a part of the narrative.
00:05That's all.
00:06There is definitely tension between the Ryans, you know.
00:08Is it a rivalry? Is it something more?
00:11Ryan, I'm curious.
00:12Oh, no.
00:12Were you good to her Barbies?
00:14She didn't have Barbies.
00:15Really?
00:16She was too busy being Barbie.
00:19Well, I gotta ask.
00:20Very generous.
00:22It's true. She ruled the school.
00:23Oh, really?
00:24Yeah. She had more meetings than classes.
00:27She walked me to school safely.
00:29And she was the president of that school.
00:31So I have to know.
00:32What Toronto-inspired items would your Ken doll come with?
00:35Did you guys manage to sneak any Canadian items into Ken Dome or Barbie Land?
00:41God, that's a good question.
00:42I wish I had a better answer for you.
00:44We should have.
00:45Like, there was a lot of horse imagery in, like, Ken Dome.
00:48And I think I should have...
00:49We should have snuck a moose in there.
00:52It's too late, though. It's too late.
00:53You can't go back now.
00:54I can't go back. We can't reshoot the movie.
00:56That's fair.
00:57So for your Ken doll, what three Toronto-inspired items are you bringing?
01:03Toronto-inspired items.
01:05It's probably all food.
01:06It's like poutine, a Jamaican beef patty, and roti.
01:09Delicious.
01:09My Ken will be very large.
01:11He will be very round.
01:12He's large and in charge with the Kennergy.
01:14Yeah, that's right.
01:15I hear this was entirely a real set.
01:17Or at least more real than usual.
01:19And I'm curious.
01:21I'd love to hear what you thought of the set.
01:22But I know you've got little girls, too.
01:23And I'm curious what they thought of the set if they got to see it.
01:27It was very surreal.
01:28It was like one Christmas, I was building a Barbie dream house.
01:32And then the next, I was in it.
01:35I'm still not sure it happened.
01:38So you and Ryan Gosling's Ken have some serious sexual Kennergy in the trailer.
01:43Is that explored at all in the movie?
01:44Is that explored?
01:46That is a really...
01:49Let me think about this.
01:51There is definitely tension between the Ryans, you know.
01:54Is it a rivalry? Is it something more?
01:57I will...
01:59You definitely...
02:00Let's say this.
02:00Whatever goes on between us definitely comes to a head in the climax of the movie.
02:06And in order for, you know, there's only one way for people to know what that is.
02:09And that's by buying a ticket and seeing it when it comes out of theaters.
02:14So do we have an enemies to lovers arc?
02:17I think in a manner of speaking, absolutely.
02:21Absolutely.
02:21But you know, what's really great is that, you know, Ryan has a Ken doll.
02:26And my character also has a Ken doll.
02:28And so people can buy our Ken dolls and make them do whatever they want.
02:33Whatever their imagination will allow for them.
02:38You know, if you're not satisfied with the ending of the movie,
02:41you know, write one for yourself.
02:43And, you know, use our dolls.
02:47I love it.
02:47Full permission.
02:49You said, you know, everybody's into Barbie.
02:52They don't F with Ken.
02:53After this movie, you've told this story.
02:55So I'm curious, are the women going to F with Ken?
02:58Are the men going to F with Ken?
03:00I don't, you know, I think Ken is just happy to be a part of the narrative.
03:05That's all.
03:07His sole job in life is just to admire the awesomeness of Barbie.
03:11It's a great job.
03:13But, you know, he doesn't, you know, other than that, I'm not sure.
03:18He's, he questions his, his Ken or Jake.
03:21Where, what's its source?
03:23Where is it best spent?
03:25You know.
03:26So I want to know, so Barbie Land eventually transforms into Ken Dome.
03:30We see this from the trailer.
03:31What are the biggest changes when Ken's start running the show?
03:34Oh, yeah, so many.
03:37Just get so much better, you know.
03:39No, yeah, Ken's, Ken's kind of get their hands on, on the Barbie Dreamhouse.
03:43And, you know, the results on, if I'm honest, are not, are not great.
03:46Ken's are not known for their interior design prowess.
03:50And in fact, all of their design inspirations for this Ken Dome
03:53come from just like misguided interpretations of what manliness is.
03:58So it's like a lot of mini fridges and beer and, and horse paraphernalia,
04:02like a lot of horse imagery, because, you know, for whatever reason,
04:06you know, we get it in our heads that horses equals manliness.
04:10And the more horses you ride, the manlier you are.
04:14And, and so just horses are everywhere.
04:16They're riding in slow motion on the flat screen TVs.
04:19They're like horse sculptures.
04:22Everyone's somehow dressed like a cowboy.
04:24Yeah, it's like someone, it's like someone broken telephoned what being a man was.
04:29And then the Ken's got it like 700 people down.
04:32And we're just like, OK, great.
04:33We're going to do that.