Barbie: Actors who turned down Ken roles in Greta Gerwig's film

Barbie movie trivia seems to be never-ending. After the movie hit the big screens on July 21, the performance of the lead actors has been widely appreciated. However, apart from Ryan Gosling who plays Ken, there were several other actors who turned down the roles first. 

3 things you need to know 

• Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir play Kens in Barbie. 
• Barbie was released on July 21 along with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. 
• Margot Robbie plays the titular character in the film.

An all-different Kendom 

While Ryan Gosling was the first choice as Ken for director Greta Gerwig, other actors cast in the role were not fixed. The casting director of the movie Allison Jones revealed to Vanity Fair the other actors who were being considered for the role. Among the top runners were Schitt’s Creek fame Dan Levy and Dear Evan Hansen actor Ben Platt. 

(Simu Liu and Ryan Golsing play the two Kens in the Barbie movie | Image: Twitter)

The casting director shared that the actors “were really bummed they couldn’t do it”. Not just Ken, Jones revealed that even Allan’s part was offered to Glee star Jonathan Groff before it went to Michael Cera. 

The actors who were cast as Barbie before Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie who plays the titular character in the film is also the producer of the movie. Naturally, she did not want the director to feel the pressure to cast her in the role. Thus the duo’s first choice for the part was Wonder Woman actor Gal Gadot. Robbie revealed to Vogue that “Gal Gadot is Barbie energy”. 

(Margot Robbie played the role of Barbie which was initially offered to Gal Gadot and even Amy Schumer | Image: Twitter)

Amy Schumer was also considered for the lead role. However, she could not play the part due to “scheduling conflicts” and other “creative differences”. Eventually, Margot Robbie played the part. Barbie has emerged as the highest-grossing film of her career.