This article originally appeared on E! Online
Ryan Gosling knows there's no Ken without Barbie.
After picking up an Oscar nomination for his role as Ken in 2023's "Barbie" movie, Gosling expressed his sadness in learning that his collaborators, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig, did not receive nods for acting and directing, respectively.
"I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films," Gosling began in a Jan. 23 statement to E! News. "And I never thought I'd being saying this, but I'm also incredibly honored and proud that it's for portraying a plastic doll named Ken."
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However, the 43-year-old noted that "there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film."
"No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius," he continued. "To say that I'm disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement. Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily-clad and, thankfully, crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history."
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Gosling added, "Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees."
Though Robbie did not land a nod in the best actress category for her portrayal of the titular doll, she did receive a best picture nomination as the film's producer. Meanwhile, Gerwig was noticeably left off the nominees for best directing but was recognized alongside Noah Bombauch, her co-writer and husband, with a best adapted screenplay nod.
But Gosling wasn't the only "Barbie" alum to be disheartened by the snubs.
America Ferrera, who received a best supporting actress nod for her role as Gloria, was equally as upset by the news.
"I was incredibly disappointed that they weren't nominated," the "Ugly Betty" star told Variety in an interview published Jan. 23. "Greta has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve it."
The 38-year-old actress continued, "What Margot achieved as an actress is truly unbelievable. One of the things about Margot as an actress is how easy she makes everything look. And perhaps people got fooled into thinking that the work seems easy, but Margot is a magician as an actress in front of the screen, and it was one of the honors of my career to get to witness her pull off the amazing performance she did."
