The announcement of the 2024 Oscar nominees sparked discussion among movie enthusiasts, mainly because of the not-so-good look of Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig, both being overlooked by the awards body despite both of their critical roles in the billion-dollar Barbie success story. This controversy arose amid their film securing eight nods, including Best Picture. Ryan Gosling earned one in a prestigious category for his portrayal of Ken in the blockbuster. Interestingly, the 43-year-old star is facing pressure from fans across the globe to forfeit his nom. Now, a reported insider has dropped some claims about how Gosling will allegedly respond.
Ryan Gosling, along with fellow actor and Oscar nominee America Ferrera, have been very vocal about their dissatisfaction with neither his co-star nor director being nominated. While Gosling has spoken out about the situation, he stopped short of forfeiting his Academy Award nod. An insider who spoke to the Daily Mail revealed that he has no intention of doing so. The insider disclosed:
Ryan is sticking by his statement. He understands people are upset because he is upset as well, but he is not going to be swayed by what anyone is saying online.
In his recent statement, the La La Land star expressed that he believes Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig’s work deserves recognition alongside the other worthy nominees. He concluded his thoughts by congratulating America Ferrera and other artists who played a significant role in making the film groundbreaking. The source close to him continued:
Ryan is honored that he has been nominated and the film has been nominated. In the chance he does win or if he performs I’m Just Ken, he will honor Margot and Greta in one way or another.
The source indicates that Ryan Gosling is following his heart in his decisions and enjoys the backing of his fellow cast members and the director. They further noted:
He is not looking to make this into something more than it has become. He spoke about it and people should take what he said seriously because he meant every single word.
Released in July 2023, Barbie made an impressive splash at the global box office, amassing $1.45 billion, including $636 million from its domestic release. Notably, both leading figures were recognized with Oscar nominations for their contributions to the flick. Greta Gerwig received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, while Margo Robbie earned a nod for Best Picture as a producer. However, it’s surprising that Gerwig was overlooked for a Best Director nomination, considering the film’s achievements. Echoing Ryan Gosling’s sentiments, “There is no Ken without Barbie,” and it’s essential to acknowledge Margot Robbie’s critical role in the film, both on screen and behind the scenes.
A separate Daily Mail source highlights why the Academy voters might have snubbed Barbie‘s lead actress and director. They shared:
The reason for it all is it is a mixture of everything, some voters assumed that they were going to get nominated so they threw their votes elsewhere, some voters don’t want to see a movie like Barbie be nominated for anything when there are films like Oppenheimer in the race. Other voters would never dream to think that when people look back at history, films like The Godfather, Schindler’s List and Gone With The Wind would share the same accolades and stage as Barbie.
Greta Gerwig had earlier received a Best Director nomination for her 2017 movie Lady Bird, which was her debut as a solo director of a feature film. Additionally, she earned nominations for the screenplay of that movie and for the script of her subsequent project, the 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s renowned novel Little Women.
This year’s Oscars are highly anticipated, and it’ll be intriguing to see how it all pans out. The recent snub may work in favor of Barbie, leading Ryan Gosling and the team to win several of their eight nominations. Only time will tell on that front, though.
The 96th Academy Awards will be broadcast on ABC on March 10 as part of the 2024 TV schedule. In the meantime, you can stream Barbie to prepare for the event if you have a Max subscription.