Ryan Gosling Was Paid Huge Money For Barbie (Not the Biggest Salary in His Career, Though)
Gosling got paid more than Kenough.
Greta Gerwig's Barbie has emerged as the ultimate hit of 2023, amassing an astounding $1.428 billion at the global box office in just a few months. This makes it the highest-grossing movie of the year and the 14th highest-grossing feature film in history. Mattel and its iconic doll brand naturally helped boost the film's success through marketing by association, but the film also cemented the global audience's interest in revisionist stories presented from a critical feminist perspective.
And, of course, in addition to the brilliant Margot Robbie, one of the film's main highlights was Ryan Gosling's portrayal of Ken. His performance was a perfect blend of comedic satire of masculinity and patriarchy, combined with anxieties about the autonomy of one's own personality and body. Critics lauded Gosling's acting, but expectations were high from the outset, seeing how Warner Bros. offered him one of the largest compensation packages of his career.
Show Me The Money
In 2022, The Guardian speculated about Gosling's involvement in Barbie: 'There is a strong good chance that this will be his defining role.' Over the years, the actor has demonstrated his versatility by playing depressive stoics in Drive or Blade Runner 2049, comedic characters in Crazy, Stupid, Love or The Nice Guys, and even showcasing his musical and dancing talents in La La Land, for which he received an Oscar nomination.
Ken's role was indeed one of his most defining, as it was, to a large degree, a crazy mix of everything he'd ever done before, combining comedic, dramatic, and musical elements. Unsurprisingly, the Barbie team recognized this as well. According to Variety, the actor was paid $12.5 million, which was comparable to Margot Robbie's original paycheck.
While it was later revealed that Robbie's total compensation and bonuses worked out to around $50 million after the film's enormous box office success, this only confirms that both were valued equally. However, it remains uncertain if Gosling received any bonuses at all.
Biggest Paycheck and Other Lucrative Projects
While it would be ludicrous to deny that this is an incredibly high compensation, it is only the second highest for Gosling. His highest paycheck came from the 2022 action thriller The Gray Man, for which he received a staggering $20 million. Although the movie received mixed reviews from critics, Gosling probably does not regret earning such a substantial sum for it.
His other high-profile roles have also paid handsomely, including $10 million for Blade Runner 2049 and $8 million for La La Land.
Source: Variety, The Guardian.