‘I Witnessed That Kenergy': Emma Stone Shared Her Thoughts On Ryan Gosling's Performance In Barbie, And It's The Best

Side-by-side screenshots of Emma Stone in Poor Things and Ryan Gosling in Barbie.
(Image credit: Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.)

Not only are Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone known for starring in legendary movies together like La La Land and Crazy, Stupid, Love, but they also both made massive marks on the 2023 movie schedule with their own stellar projects. So, considering the love for Gosling’s absolutely hilarious Barbie and Stone’s wonderfully weird Poor Things, the actress was asked about her frequent collaborator's performance as Ken, and of course, her response was the best. 

Considering Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling's history, of course, she was asked about her thoughts on his performance as Ken in Barbie. While chatting with Access Hollywood she shared her thoughts on if he was Kenough, saying:

Yes! I witnessed that Kenergy. He was..he really is Kenough. He did it. He really did it this time.

In the words of Ariana DeBose, Ryan Gosling really “did the thing,” and he did it so well, as Stone passionately pointed out in the best way. Along with Barbie’s stellar reviews and box office performance, Gosling’s role as Ken in Barbie’s cast has been praised left and right. I’m not shocked the actress also adored his performance, and I’m thrilled she loved it as much as many of us do.

While we’ve always known Ryan Gosling was funny, (I mean just watch two of his collaborations with Emma Stone – La La Land and Crazy, Stupid Love – and you’ll see it) we haven’t seen him go as hard as he did with Ken. Even though the actor doubted his Kenergy at first, ultimately he found it and turned in one of the funniest and best performances of his career. 

Emma Stone knows this, and we know it too. Gosling didn’t just tell us the definition of Kenergy, he showed it to us. It was more than “Kenough,” it was true brilliance. 

Do you know who else showed us true brilliance this year? Emma Stone in the lovingly reviewed Poor Things. Like Gosling in Barbie, the Oscar winner truly committed to playing Bella Baxter to the fullest, and she gave a heartfelt, moving and hysterical performance in Yorgos Lanthimos’ film. 

I honestly believe that Emma Stone could win an Oscar for her work in Poor Things, and it seems like Ryan Gosling could be going against Robert Downey Jr. and others for an Academy Award as well. Both these actors elevated their work this year with their films, and they showed the world just how committed they are to their work. Boy, did it pay off! 

The cherry on top of this whole situation is the fact that Emma Stone also loves Barbie. Hopefully, Ryan Gosling shares his take on Poor Things, but I imagine he adores his La La Land co-stars’ performance as Bella just as much as she loves Ken. 

To see these two incredible performances from the truly dynamic duo, you can rent or buy Barbie or stream it with a Max subscription starting December 15, and you can currently catch Poor Things in theaters. If you want to see Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling share the screen, you can stream La La Land with a Netflix subscription

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.