Ryan Gosling‘s role in The Gray Man is nothing like his role of Ken in the upcoming Barbie, but that didn’t stop the Gray Man‘s directors from harnessing his “Kenergy.”
During a chat with Digital Spy, Joe and Anthony Russo claimed responsibility for Gosling’s transformation into Barbie’s lover, since The Gray Man contains a scene where Chris Evans’ character puts a bounty on Gosling’s by saying, “Extra ten million to the first guy to put a bullet in this Ken Doll’s brain.”
“It was great timing,” Joe said about the line. “But we’d like to say that we encouraged Ryan to embrace his Kenergy. We’re expecting a real Kennaisance.”
The timing was even better than Joe let on, as Anthony revealed that that line was written before Gosling’s involvement in Barbie.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but the line pre-dated any involvement whatsoever.”
Filming began on The Gray Man in March 2021 and was completed in July. The action thriller hit select theaters on July 15, 2022, before dropping on Netflix a week later. Audience reviews are mostly positive, while critic reviews are split perfectly down the middle. We Got This Covered gave the flick 3/5 stars.
In October 2021, Gosling was announced to play one of the Kens in Greta Gerwig’s toy-based rom-com Barbie. Filming began in March 2022, a year after The Gray Man started its own, and just wrapped on July 21.
You can check out The Gray Man on Netflix today and watch for the blonde man in Barbie in 2023.