Eva Mendes has slammed critics who “ridiculed” Ryan Gosling for his role in Barbie, after he received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ken in the movie.
The actress – with whom he shares daughters Esmeralda, 7, and Amada, 5 – jumped to his defence on Instagram amid the furore surrounding his nomination.
Sharing a screenshot of a Rolling Stone opinion piece that described Ryan’s acting as “cringe,” Eva wrote: “So proud of my man. So much hate when he took on this role.”
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“So many people trying to shame him for doing it,” she continued.
“Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious,heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to Oscars.
“So beyond proud to be this Ken’s Barbie 💕,” Eva added.
In the comment section, Ryan’s co-star America Ferrera, who picked up her first-ever Oscar nomination for her role as Gloria in Barbie, wrote: “He is brilliant as Ken!”
“Pulled off a triple somersault performance! We’re so lucky it was him and I’m so grateful for the way he showed up with his super stardom, and continues to show up to support all the women in this process!!”
“He is a class act and insanely deserving and talented,” she concluded.
Barbie is up for eight awards at this year’s Academy Awards, including Best Picture, however fans are furious that Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig weren’t nominated in Best Actress and Best Director categories.
Earlier this week, Ryan said he was “disappointed” Margot and Greta weren’t nominated in their respective categories, as he reacted to his Best Supporting Actor nod.
In a statement to US media, the Barbie star said: “I am extremely honoured to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films.
“And I never thought I’d be saying this, but I’m also incredibly honoured and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken.
“But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film.”
“No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius.”
“Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history.”
“Their work should be recognised along with the other very deserving nominees. Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film,” he concluded.
The 96th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 10th.
