Even before any official footage has been released, the new Barbie movie has its fair share of critics, but Ryan Gosling isn’t taking criticisms of his portrayal of Ken lying down. The actor will portray the husband of Barbie in the upcoming movie, alongside Margot Robbie as the titular doll, with a stacked supporting cast including Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Emma Mackey, Michael Cera, and Kate McKinnon. However, since Gosling’s casting in the role, some have not taken to the nearly 10-year age gap between the two leads.

Although there is yet to be any official footage released from the movie, there have been a number of set leaks from the film shoot in the U.K. that have given a good look at what can be expected from Robbie and Gosling in their respective roles of Barbie and Ken. While there has certainly been a lot of pink in sight, those involved in the movie are still professing that the film will deliver something different from what people expect, and Gosling has previously commented that the script is amazing.

During his recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Gosling made a point of countering the comments made criticizing Ken by responding that none of these people ever wanted to play with Ken or thought about him before now. He said:

“I was surprised how, you know, some people were kind of clutching their pearls about my Ken, as though they ever thought about Ken for a second before this. They never played with Ken. Nobody plays with Ken, man. He’s an accessory and not even one of the cool ones.”

Related: Ryan Gosling Says He is Doing Barbie Movie 'for the Kens of the World'

Barbie Arrives in Cinemas Next Year to Compete With Oppenheimer

barbie oppenheimer 2023 release

Barbie has been in development for over a decade, but after struggling to find ground at Sony, the movie was taken over by Warner Bros., who seems to have wasted little time in bringing the project into production with some surprisingly strong talent in front and behind the camera. While we still await plot details, the film’s release next summer is already gaining attention as it releases the same day as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Of course, the two movies will have vastly different audiences, but depending on exactly who the target audience of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is, there could still be some trouble ahead for Nolan’s movie. Barbie doesn’t particularly seem to be aiming at the really young market the character usually falls into, but it also doesn’t instantly stand out as being for a more mature audience either. This could result in a young audience being accompanied by adults who would be more suited to a movie like Oppenheimer, potentially hurting the biopic.

However, all of this is up in the air for now. Nolan’s audience is pretty much set in stone, as certain people will venture to the cinema for a drama like Oppenheimer. When it comes to Barbie, though, that audience is yet to be decided, and who knows, with a good viral marketing campaign similar to that seen around Minions: The Rise of Gru, Barbie could be a dominant force this time next year.