2023 has been a great year for Ryan Gosling thanks to the success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. His work as Ken in the film earned him praise from fans all over the world, but Ken becoming popular is more special for Gosling. Recently, while presenting an award to musician Mark Ronson, the actor talked about the word, Kenergy, which he coined at a press conference.
The actor explained that the word has haunted him ever since he created it but it certainly played a key role in gaining the attention of mainstream media, creating more anticipation for Barbie before its release.
The word Kenergy has been haunting Ryan Gosling
Recently, actor Ryan Gosling gave a speech before presenting an award to musician Mark Ronson at Variety’s Hitmakers event. During the speech, the actor revealed that the word “Kenergy” has been haunting him ever since he created it,
“A word like… Kenergy. What is Kenergy, other than a word I made up on a press junket so I didn’t have to really answer any questions, that’s haunted me ever since? Well, it’s a noun, that I’ve come to understand as the strength and vitality required for a sustained period of Kenning. What’s Kenning, other than another random word I made up? It’s a verb. To Ken is to give more than is necessary or required to reflect so that others might shine. Well, I don’t know how to better describe Mark Ronson better than that.”
Gosling claimed that Ronson is an example of Kenergy in the real world because of his massive contribution to the movie as a musician. With Ronson’s efforts, the film’s soundtrack received nominations for 11 Grammy Awards.
Ryan Gosling is glad that people care about Ken now
Further in the speech, Ryan Gosling claimed that six months ago, people weren’t aware of Ken’s existence as the spotlight was always on Barbie, but thanks to Mark Ronson, the story has changed,
“I can tell you from firsthand experience, up until six months ago, the entire world gave zero f**ks about Ken. He was just this 70-year-old crotchless doll with no house, no car, no job, and no voice, and look at him now! He has a Grammy-nominated power ballad and the voice of an angel. What happened? It’s simple. He met Mark Ronson, and his life changed forever.”
Upon release, Barbie became a worldwide sensation and at the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed roughly $1.44 billion, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 as well as the highest-grossing film by a solo female director.
