Greta Gerwig’s Barbie became one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, with over $1.4 billion in ticket sales. This is all thanks to Margot Robbie’s and Ryan Gosling’s portrayals of Barbie and Ken, as well as the popularity of the franchise.
The message of Barbie is very powerful, but little did fans know that there were a couple of scenes that were axed from the final cut because they did not align with the story. One of which is a shared kiss between Barbie and Ken.
Margot Robbie’s Friends Were Disappointed She Did Not Kiss Ryan Gosling In Barbie
Margot Robbie revealed in an interview with People why she opted not to kiss Ryan Gosling in Barbie. As one of the producers, the actress has had a lot of say in the flow of the storyline, and she did not think that their characters would smooch on screen, yet Robbie got the flak for it.
“All of my girlfriends were like, ‘Well you did a whole movie with him and you don’t kiss? What’s wrong with you? I thought you were kind of in charge on this one!’ I was like, ‘I know, I can’t check that one off [my list].’ ”
Surely, there was the awkward romance between Barbie and Ken, and Gosling seemed pretty fine with the lack of kissing. He found it “so funny trying to figure out what their idea of kissing might be.” He was glad it was cut off.
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Even though the idea of a kissing scene was discussed by the brains behind Barbie, it would not serve any purpose in the film. Barbie Land, first and foremost, should be devoid of romance.
The scene where Ken suggests staying overnight at Barbie’s abode and he leans in, yet both of them remain still, is strong evidence that they are unaware of human emotions. Robbie also shared that the suggestion of a kissing scene was immediately dismissed before they started production.
Apart from the controversial kissing scene between Barbie and Ken, there are a whole bunch of other scenes that did not make it to the final cut, such as Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan’s cameos and a lookalike joke between Emma Mackey and Margot Robbie.
Why Is Barbie Not Attracted To Ken?
The lack of romance in Barbie became a speculation ground for fans on why Margot Robbie’s character is not in love with Ken. A post from The Mary Sue gave an explanation about the scarceness of emotions in the movie:
“The disparity in emotion is all down to the way little girls play with their Barbie dolls and the way Barbie product design and marketing plays into that. To most little girls, Ken just isn’t very interesting; the whole point is Barbie and her sparkly outfits and interesting careers. Ken, like the posters say, is just Ken, there as an accessory if they want to host a Barbie wedding or send her to a dance.”
Robbie also explained in a separate interview that she pondered about what she would feel if she was a doll that lacked the anatomical figures responsible for attraction, and she concluded that it does not make any sense for the character to feel any kind of s*xual desire for Ken.
