Barbie star Ryan Gosling expresses his disappointment as both Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig fail to gain Oscar nominations for the 96th Academy Awards. Despite earning nominations in eight other categories, including Best Picture and Gosling’s own Best Supporting Actor nomination, both Barbie’s leading star and director were overlooked for the Best Actress and Best Director categories. Given Barbie’s widespread popular appeal and the spate of nominations both parties had previously received in other major award ceremonies, the surprising move sparked an outpouring of shock and condemnation almost as soon as the final nominations were announced.
Following his Barbie co-star and fellow nominee America Ferrera, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Gosling released his own statement reacting to the news. While the actor expressed gratitude for his own Best Supporting Actor nomination, Gosling suggested that the Barbie movie would never have been possible without Robbie and Gerwig and that he was deeply disheartened to learn that they were overlooked. Check out his comments below:
I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. 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. 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.
Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.
Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.
Has The Academy Awards Lost Touch With Movie-Going Audiences?
Ever since its founding in 1929, the Academy Awards have widely been regarded as the entertainment industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony. Aimed at celebrating the work of the world’s best and most exciting filmmakers, the esteem that comes with securing a highly coveted Oscar nomination often follows Hollywood creatives throughout the entirety of their careers. Yet with each successive year’s nominations, many commentators often suggest that there is a growing divide between the tastes of general audiences and the kinds of movies that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences favors.
Barbie’s Oscars Dream Is All But Over Thanks To 2024’s Golden Globes
Due to its popular and critical acclaim, many felt that Barbie would do well at the 2024 Oscars. However, its Golden Globes performance suggests not.
On hearing the news, renowned writer Stephen King even went as far to suggest that “the Oscar nominations and moviegoing tastes have pretty much parted company.” As the highest-grossing movie of 2023 and the recipient of so many other major award nominations, many seemed to think that Robbie and Gerwig were almost guaranteed 2024 Oscar nominations, even if key industry insiders thought otherwise. That Barbie would go on to secure so many other Academy Award nominations, while overlooking the movie’s two leading creative female voices, only seemed to add to the widespread distaste being expressed online.
Despite Barbie’s impressive Best Picture nomination, many commentators are still taking this move as the latest evidence of the Oscars’ growing disconnect from general audiences. Moreover, the move also seems to highlight the awards’ troubling history of acknowledging the work of female directors, which is even more ironic given the movie’s themes. Hopefully, Barbie will still enjoy some measure of success at the 96th Academy Awards. However, regardless of whatever wins it does manage on the night in question, they will still likely be overshadowed by the Academy’s shocking decision to snub both Robbie and Gerwig.
Barbie
Barbie is a film adaptation of the generational iconic toy directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach. The film centers on Margot Robbie’s Barbie who is expelled from Barbieland and travels with Ken (Ryan Gosling) to the real world in search of happiness. The film also stars Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, and several other famous celebrities in cameo roles.
- Release Date
- July 21, 2023
- Director
- Greta Gerwig
- Cast
- Margot Robbie , Ryan Gosling , Simu Liu , Ariana Greenblatt , Helen Mirren , Nicola Coughlan , John Cena , Will Ferrell , Ritu Arya , Michael Cera , America Ferrera , Alexandra Shipp , Kate McKinnon
- Runtime
- 114 Minutes
- Writers
- Noah Baumbach , Greta Gerwig
- Budget
- $100 Million
- Studio(s)
- LuckyChap Entertainment , Mattel Films , Heyday Films
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
