Culture news “Ryan Gosling is nominated for Ken but Margot Robbie is not nominated for Barbie in… Barbie”, the Oscars are already sparking outrage
While many awards have already been handed out, it is now time for the Oscars! The academy has in fact revealed the films, actors and creators nominated for the ceremony, and one of the choices is particularly controversial. Indeed, Ryan Gosling was nominated for his acting, but not Margot Robbie.
Ken better than Barbie in his own movie?
Last summer, the film barbie had caused a real phenomenon even before its release. It must be said that it was scheduled to arrive in theaters on exactly the same day as Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s latest film. Enough to amuse many Internet users who had fun putting these two films in competition as their worlds were diametrically opposed. But by the time of their release, both feature films had finally lived up to expectations and managed to convince their respective audiences. Since then, the films of Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig have won prestigious awards. Today, however, the Academy of Oscars revealed the list of films in the running for each of their categories, and one of the choices is already starting to cause controversy.
So Ryan Gosling is nominated for playing Ken but Margot Robbie is not nominated for playing Barbie in… Barbie.
You read correctly, the actress who plays Barbie in the eponymous film was not selected by the Academy of Oscars while the one who plays Ken was. While this isn’t exactly the first time that a supporting actor or actress has stolen the spotlight from a lead actor or actress, the fact that it happens in a film like Barbie poses some problems. Indeed, the entire point of the film is intended to be feminist and emphasizes the place that men take in society to the detriment of women. By nominating Ryan Gosling and not Margot Robbie, the Academy of Oscars shows at best a lack of understanding of the film, at worst that it actively participates in this social injustice. Fortunately, the actress America Ferrera was still nominated for her character Gloria in the Best Supporting Actress category. As a reminder, the Barbie film is in the race to win no less than 8 different Oscars. You can find the complete list of nominees by category in this article.
The indignation had already started in another ceremony
If it will be necessary to wait for March 10 next to know the big winners of the different Oscar categories, many ceremonies have already taken place in recent weeks. Among them, we note in particular the Critics Choice Awards And Golden Globesduring which the Barbie movie also won some awards. However, Greta Gerwig’s film also seemed not to have been well understood by the Critics Choice Awards jury. While the song of Billie Eilish (which perfectly sums up the message of the film) was also named, it was the song “I’m Just Ken” which was rewarded during this ceremony. If it is obviously very successful, rewarding it instead of that which serves the purpose of the film gives a certain bitter taste. Ryan Gosling, lead performer of the award-winning song, himself seemed surprised to win this statuette.
Fortunately, “What Was I Made For” still got the credit it deserved by winning the Golden Globe for best original song. The two songs are once again in competition for the Oscar for Best Original Song, as well as It Never Went Away (American Symphony), The Fire Inside (Flamin’ Hot) and Wahzhazhe A Song For My People (Killers of the Flower Moon). It remains to be seen whether history will repeat itself on March 10, or even if the winner will go to one of Barbie’s two songs.