Ryan Gosling originally passed on playing Ken in Barbie

Ryan Gosling is the man of the moment, with his portrayal of Ken in Greta Gerwig's groundbreaking Barbie still making headlines. 

Yes, really. The film may have come out six months ago, but it's just as much talked about now as it was then - from hidden Easter eggs to Barbie's original casting.

This is particularly true of Ryan Gosling. In fact, as we get deeper into award season, Gosling's name is becoming increasingly more popular, with the 43-year-old actor nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the male doll and even rumoured to perform at the Academy Awards with his Oscar-nominated song, 'I'm Just Ken'.

Yes, Barbie has turned Ryan Gosling into a cultural icon, and his portrayal is sure to stand the test of time. But according to reports, Gosling's Ken very nearly didn't happen, with the actor originally passing on the role.

This is something that Gosling opened up about this week in an interview with Variety, recalling that he had scheduling conflicts and wasn't sure that he was the right person for the job. But after some heavy persuading from producer Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig, he came around.

“He absolutely passed,” recalled Robbie. “We just couldn’t let that happen. There was just no other version. Greta and I are both extremely determined and persistent people, otherwise this movie never would have happened. Every time he’s like, ‘I’m not doing this,’ we were like, ‘We are doing it, and it’s going to be fun.’”

“Eventually, I thought, ‘Who am I to argue with Greta Gerwig and Margot?’", Gosling recalled. "They had a vision for it. They believed it. And they believed I should do it more than I believed I shouldn’t. At a certain point, I thought, ‘They see something that I don’t see.’ I thought it was such a great part that anyone could play it. I understand now, but it took me a while.”

A Barbie without Ryan Gosling? We couldn't imagine it!