Greta Gerwig And The 'Barbie' Cast All Agree On The Unexpected Takeaway From Barbie, And Ken's Involved

Cinema Blend

Interview with the cast of Barbie: America Ferrera, Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie.

Transcript

00:00 Yeah, there were some Bitcoin Ken comments that I think are clouding the issue.

00:04 Would you like to clear that up?

00:06 You want a Ken in your life.

00:13 If you're not a Ken, you want a Ken around.

00:15 You totally want to be a Ken.

00:16 We need more Kens.

00:18 I mean, we need Ken by the end.

00:19 We need, like, liberated Kens.

00:21 We need, like, you know, it's about, like, all of us getting to be all the things that we are.

00:27 That's the thing, like, I wanted this movie to be a hug for people where they were.

00:34 And I think, you know, I mean, not to be sort of to give away the whole thing, but like,

00:42 you know, where Ken starts out at the beginning of the movie is Ken is like an afterthought

00:46 and he's an accessory and she doesn't really think about him.

00:50 She's not mean.

00:51 She just doesn't consider him.

00:52 And that's like pretty unsustainable.

00:55 You know, there's a lot to make fun of the Kens about, especially in the beginning of the movie.

01:01 You know, kind of like how you see us in the trailer making, you know, trying to beat each

01:05 other off all the time.

01:06 I think that's very indicative of, like, kind of what the Ken mentality is.

01:10 And it kind of just comes from the fact that we don't really do anything.

01:14 And so when we don't have any jobs and we don't have any real purpose other than to kind of just

01:20 be an accessory to the Barbies, kind of really feel disempowered.

01:25 It's, you know, one of the just brilliant kind of ways that Greta turned Barbieland onto,

01:34 you know, just flipped, you know, traditional gender stereotypes over on its head and made

01:39 the Kens like the butt of the joke.

01:41 And, you know, what you get when you don't have a lot is like, Kens start to just compete

01:46 with each other and get really nasty for no reason.

01:49 Anyone who wants to beat him off has to beat me off first.

01:51 I will beat both of you off at the same time.

01:54 But you don't even know how to beat yourself off.

01:55 How are you going to beat both of us off?

01:56 It doesn't make sense.

01:57 Ken, why are you going to beat yourself off?

01:58 You're going to beat both of us off?

01:59 Come on, Ken.

02:00 Nobody's going to beat anyone off.

02:02 I mean, Ken really evolves in this movie past the place of just being a wonderful accessory

02:07 to Barbie, which, to be fair, he was kind of invented to be something that was included

02:12 in Barbie's life the way her material items were.

02:15 Best job in the world.

02:16 In the way that Ryan plays it, he's so funny, but he plays it from such a deep place inside

02:23 of him that you really feel for Ken.

02:25 I just don't know who I am without you.

02:27 You're Ken.

02:28 But it's Barbie and Ken.

02:31 There is no just Ken.

02:33 I mean, I didn't really think about Ken's journey because I just don't think about him.

02:37 But I do think that he goes through such a human experience and he's so vulnerable and

02:44 that's okay.

02:46 And he's learned so much and he only wants to be better and he just wants to be loved

02:50 by Barbie, which is admirable, but he becomes kind of his own man in the best way by the

02:57 end of the movie.

02:58 Yeah, men also suffer under patriarchy and I feel like that's the point of that part

03:05 of the film.

03:06 There are so many points that the film makes, but that it's not just women who are denied

03:12 half of their humanity by these boxes that we place ourselves in.

03:16 And I think that that is her journey and his journey and where they come to with each other

03:24 by the end, that they each evolve in their own way.

03:30 And that Barbie land improves because it becomes a more egalitarian place.

03:38 I think it's like I want to be speaking to men and women.

03:44 I don't just want it to be one thing.

03:48 I think Ken is confused.

03:51 And I don't know if he ever shakes that off.

03:54 I think that's relatable though.

03:55 I think it is confusing.

03:57 Life is confusing.

03:58 I think as much as there's moments where you get a great monologue where it's like, what

04:02 it's like to be a woman today and what it's like to be a mom and all that kind of stuff.

04:08 It's also, I don't know, I think we are in this time where guys are like, okay, what's

04:11 my place right now?

04:13 Like, I'm a dude and I'm trying to be an ally, but I'm trying to allow space and I'm trying

04:17 to listen, but I'm also trying to be there.

04:19 And like, you know, I think Ken's journey is kind of informative.

04:24 I love watching the evolution that he goes through.

04:28 I don't really know.

04:29 I don't know that there's a great takeaway for Ken other than just a sort of surrender.

04:37 Yeah.

04:38 Not trying to dominate.

04:42 You know, I think Ken's kind of come face to face with who they are, what they've become,

04:48 the journey that they've been on.

04:49 And I think, you know, well, I hope that they come to a similar conclusion that anyone would

04:56 in that situation, which is that it's always better to stick together and support one another

05:01 than to tear each other down.

05:03 And Kennergy doesn't always have to be, you know, aggressive horses, loud, you know, you

05:13 know, loud music and fur coats.

05:17 It can come from within and it comes from a sense of comfort with oneself and a self-confidence

05:25 that isn't projecting and isn't insecure.

05:28 Ryan and I have a thing where we text each other because I think Kennergy is actually

05:34 really positive, especially when it's like self-actualized Kennergy at the end.

05:38 Yes.

05:39 That's amazing Kennergy.

05:40 That's like what we all want to be going to is like amazing self-actualized Kennergy.

05:45 Yes.

05:46 Which women can have Kennergy too.

05:48 It's not just a male thing.

05:50 You know, if you want to get deep in the Barbie movie, it's about kind of evolving as yourself

05:56 and knowing that you are Kenuff.

05:59 Oh my gosh.

06:01 It's hard to follow that, but Ryan, what are your thoughts?

06:03 Not even gonna try?

06:04 Welcome to the experience.

06:05 I'm Mike and I'm just Ken.

06:09 (upbeat music)

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