Highlights
- Ryan Gosling surprised audiences with his role as Ken in Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig's Barbie, generating serious Oscar buzz.
- Gerwig and Robbie were convinced that Gosling was the perfect fit for Ken, envisioning him as a combination of Marlon Brando, Gene Wilder, John Barrymore, and John Travolta.
- Despite being a supporting character, Gosling was paid a cool $12.5 million for the role, the same amount Robbie got, but that is less than he earned from more acclaimed roles.
Ryan Gosling certainly took everyone by surprise when it was first revealed that he agreed to play Ken in Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. The Ontario, Canada native may have been around a long, having started in the '90s as a member of the Mickey Mouse Club. Despite having over 40 acting credits, however, Gosling has never taken on a role like Ken before.
And while doubted the actor’s casting initially, the public (and critics) seems satiated; Gosling’s performance in Barbie has since generated some serious Oscar buzz. Unbeknownst to many, however, it appears that the star also agreed to a slightly lower acting fee to do this movie.
Ryan Gosling Agreed To Barbie Thanks To Margot Robbie And Greta Gerwig
From the moment that Gerwig signed on to direct Barbie, she and Robbie “equally knew” that Gosling had to be Ken. For Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated star is a “combination of Marlon Brando meets Gene Wilder meets John Barrymore meets John Travolta,” which is who she was envisioning for the role.
While Gosling has never really done comedy, Gerwig also said she had always thought of Gosling as this “secretly comedic actor” even though they had never met. The director/actress also recalled watching Gosling on Saturday Night Live and from the time that she started writing the Barbie script with partner Noah Baumbach, it had always been The Notebook actor on her mind.
As for Gosling, the veteran actor was coming off a four-year hiatus when he was approached about the project. Luckily for Gerwig and Robbie, Gosling was immediately interested in signing on as his daughters play with both Barbie and Ken dolls.
During an interview with GQ, the actor recalled sending Gerwig a photo of a Ken doll lying face down in mud, right next to a squished lemon. Along with the photo, Gosling wrote the message, “I shall be your Ken. For his story must be told.”
How Much Did Ryan Gosling Make For 'Barbie'?
Gosling was reportedly paid a cool $12.5 million for the role, which is the same amount that Robbie got for her acting work in the movie. Considering that Ken is essentially a supporting character in the Barbie universe, it’s rather impressive that Gosling got pay parity with the film’s main star.
For the actor, the rate also reflects how far he has come in the industry since his breakout performance in the 2004 romantic drama The Notebook. Numerous reports have claimed that Gosling had only earned $1 million for that movie.
Even more extraordinary, the actor reportedly received a salary of $1,000 a week to work on the 2006 drama Half Nelson, which would earn him his first Oscar nod.
In contrast, Gosling was paid substantially more for his second Oscar-nominated role. In 2016, Gosling starred opposite Emma Stone in Damien Chazelle’s musical dramedy La La Land. The film ended up winning six Oscars while Gosling reportedly took home an $8 million paycheck.
Since then, it seems the actor received similar salaries for other projects. For instance, it is believed that Gosling received another $8 million for portraying Neil Armstrong in Chazelle’s First Man. Meanwhile, he supposedly got $10 million for his role in Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 with Harrison Ford and Ana de Armas.
But Ryan Gosling Made A Lot More For 'The Gray Man'
Now, Gosling has been earning significantly more for his work on films these days but for now, nothing beats the salary that he earned for Joe and Anthony Russo’s The Gray Man. In the Netflix action flick, the actor plays Six, a CIA operative who becomes the target of a psychopath assassin (Chris Evans) after he uncovers some disturbing agency secrets.
Charlize Theron was originally attached to play Six (with the character being gender-swapped) while the project was still with Sony. When that didn’t work out (Theron exited the project) and the Russos took over though, they knew right away that they wanted Gosling for the lead role.
Anthony admitted that they thought of the actor “fairly early on.” They also praised the many “qualities” that made Gosling perfect for the part, calling him “this master of minimalism.” Anthony also praised the actor’s ability to “disappear into this character and be this figure that can kind of float in and out of spaces.”
For Gosling, not only did The Gray Man mark the first time he did a Netflix movie, but it also represents his biggest paycheck yet. For his work on the film, reports indicate that the actor was paid $20 million, giving him pay parity with co-star Evans. While it is almost certain that Evans will not return for the sequel, Gosling is already attached to the upcoming project.
And while little is known about the planned Gray Man sequel at the moment, up next for Gosling is David Leitch’s action-drama, The Fall Guy, which also stars Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, and Stephanie Hsu. In addition, the actor is also attached to a planned Ocean’s Eleven prequel, which will see him star opposite Robbie once more.
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