After First Look At Ryan Gosling As Ken In The Barbie Movie Drops, His Wife Eva Mendes Created The Perfect Hashtag

Ryan Gosling in Crazy. Stupid. Love.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Ryan Gosling is taking on a new role, but its not what fans may be expecting from the action and drama star. He’s gearing up to play Ken in the new Barbie movie, and after the first look dropped, his wife Eva Mendes came up with the perfect hashtag to keep the conversation going on social media. 

The first look at Ryan Gosling as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was just released on social media, and actress Eva Mendes was ready to rock and roll with a buzzy hashtag. Take a look below: 

In addition to expressing her excitement about the film, Eva Mendes shared the hashtag #thatsmyken to spread the word. Plenty of celeb friends jumped on the conversation, including Tom Hank’s wife, actress Rita Wilson. She claimed that the post must be “breaking the internet for sure,” and she wasn’t too far off. 

Internet users quickly jumped on the image of Ryan Gosling, prompting glee, incredulity, and more than a few good-spirited memes. It’s certainly a different look for Ryan Gosling, but Eva Mendes doesn’t seem to mind: she called his performance ‘So F. Funny’ and ‘So F. Good’ (anyone else jealous that she seems to have seen it already?). 

It can’t hurt that he’s been working out to recreate Ken’s signature plastic six-pack: his ridiculously chiseled abs were a hot topic, as well as his Calvin Klein-inspired ‘Ken’ boxer briefs. Some fans even noted the similarities to Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred in the live action Scooby Doo movies, although it remains to be seen if the films will have anything else in common (it’s unlikely that the Barbie movie will include a plot about stealing souls at a theme park). 

Barbie had been in development for quite a while, but the process began to speed up last year when the cast was officially assembled. In addition to Ryan Gosling, the star-studded cast of Barbie will also include Margot Robbie as the titular blonde, Will Ferrell, Marvel’s Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, and Michael Cera. Other cast members will include a trifecta from Sex Education in the form of Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, and Connor Swindells. Aside from Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie, it’s mostly unknown how all of these performers will fit into the Barbie universe. We’ll just have to wait and see if everyone shares Ryan Gosling’s Fire Island style and bleach blonde hair. 

Audiences won’t be able to catch Ryan Gosling as Ken until Barbie hits theaters on July 21, 2023, but there’s plenty to keep them busy. Check out these upcoming movie releases to tide you over until then, or take a look at the best Ryan Gosling movies and how to watch them

Rachel Romean

Actor, singer, and occasional dancer. Likes: fashion, books, old buildings. Dislikes: cilantro, the NJ Turnpike, sneaker wedges.