Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Culture
    2. TV and Film

    A Ken music video starring Ryan Gosling has just dropped and it's going viral

    "I'm just Ken"

    Jenny Proudfoot's avatar
    By Jenny Proudfoot
    Published 10 July 2023 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Barbie the movie
    (Image credit: Barbie the Movie / Warner Bros. Pictures)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    The world is waiting in anticipation for the release of Barbie, a live-action movie about the iconic Mattel doll, directed and co-written by Oscar nominated Greta Gerwig. 

    And with less that a fortnight until the UK release, Barbie has to be the most talked-about film of the year already. 

    This is in part down to the film's star-studded cast, with Ryan Gosling, the Ken to Margot Robbie's Barbie making the most news. 

    Today, the latest trailer for the Barbie movie dropped - a music video starring Ryan Gosling called "I'm Just Ken" - and unsurprisingly, it has now gone viral. 

    YouTube YouTube
    Watch On

    The music video sees Ken (played by Gosling) struggling in Barbie's shadow, alongside emotional lyrics and some choreographed dance numbers.

    "Doesn't seem to matter what I do, I'm always number two," sings Gosling in the exclusive video. "No one knows how hard I've tried, oh I have feelings that I can't explain, driving me insane.

    "All my life been so polite, cause I'm just Ken. Anywhere else I'd be a ten. Is it my destiny to live and die a life of blonde fragility?"

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    The song continues: "I'm just Ken. Where I see love she sees a friend. What will it take for her to see the man behind the tan. And fight for me?

    "I'm just Ken, I am enough. And I'm great at doing stuff. So hey check me out, yeah I'm just Ken. Baby I'm just Ken."

    Ryan Gosling arriving at the Barbie world premiere

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    This is not the first time that the 42-year-old has spoken out about Ken's struggles, opening up about the character in response to the #NotMyKen backlash earlier this year. 

    "If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. So your hypocrisy is exposed. This is why his story must be told," Ryan Gosling told GQ, explaining how Ken has often been overlooked.

    In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, he later added: "Nobody plays with Ken, man. They never played with Ken. He’s an accessory and not even one of the cool ones.”

    This includes Gosling's daughters, whose disrespect for their Ken doll was the final push that prompted the actor to take the role.

    “I walk out in the backyard and, do you know where I found Ken, Jimmy?" Gosling recalled to Jimmy Fallon of the moment after Gerwig had offered him the role. "He was face down in the mud next to a squished lemon.”

    He went on to explain that he took a photograph of the scene and sent it to Gerwig as his acceptance, with the message: "I shall be your Ken, for this story must be told."

    Barbie is set for release on 21 July 2023.

    We officially cannot wait for this.

    Explore More
    Barbie Greta Gerwig Margot Robbie
    Jenny Proudfoot
    Jenny Proudfoot
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Features Editor

    Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

    In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.

    Latest in TV and Film
    We Finally Know What To Expect From Leighton Meester’s Character in Nobody Wants This
    TV and Film One Surprising A-Lister Is Joining the Nobody Wants This Season Three Cast
    Lily Collins in Emily in Paris
    TV and Film Emily in Paris Fans Have Been Mourning a ‘Bittersweet’ Update About Season Six
     
     
    There has been a huge update for The White Lotus season 4
    TV and Film ‘Two Weeks in August’ Has Been Dubbed the 'British White Lotus' – Here’s What We Know About It
    Helena Bonham Carter attends the 2024 BAFTAs
    TV and Film One Cast Member Has Spoken Out About Helena Bonham Carter Leaving The White Lotus
     
     
    Latest in News
    New Beauty Products: The Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Dyson Does Teeth, Fenty Rips Up the Rulebook (Again) and a Surprisingly Fragrant Week for Dogs
    Jodie Comer
    Shopping Jodie Comer Just Announced the Start of Knee-High Boots Season
     
     
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Kaia Gerber Just Wore the ’90s Dress Style That’s as Flattering as It Is Low-Effort
    Oxfam
    Fashion “The Water Used to Produce Britain’s Unworn Clothes Is Enough to Supply 1 Million People for a Lifetime”: Oxfam’s Latest State of Style Report Finds
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.