Ryan Gosling’s fan-favorite performance as Ken is already proof that life in plastic is fantastic – and that’s before his salary for Barbie was revealed.
The collective Kenergy has been real ever since Barbie‘s global release in July, with Gosling turning in a performance exceptional enough to possibly put him forward as an Academy Awards nominee.
Though the film is mostly focused on Barbie’s (Margot Robbie) journey to exploring the real world, Ken is just as essential to the story, coming equipped with his own catchphrases, wardrobes, and original songs.
It’s not surprising that the leading cast has received big paychecks after Greta Gerwig‘s live adaptation seemingly had no budget – though Gosling’s salary is the one that cuts above the rest.
Barbie film gave Ryan Gosling an eye-watering salary
According to a report from Variety, Gosling made $12.5 million from his time as Ken on the big screen.
This puts him as the seventeenth highest-paid actor in the last annual cinematic release window, beaching off the likes of Matt Damon in Oppenheimer, Millie Bobby Brown in Enola Holmes 2, and Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween Ends.
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Gosling remains on equal financial footing as co-star Margot Robbie, who reportedly was paid exactly the same amount.
Unsurprisingly, Barbie is the biggest box office success this year, with Gerwig smashing all-time records out of the park. Since its release on July 21, 2023, the film has made just under $1.43 billion, which makes it the biggest-earning film of all time for its studio, Warner Bros.
This is all before the film’s recent re-release at IMAX, while many theaters still have Barbie showing on a weekly basis. The IMAX release comes complete with never-before-seen post-credits footage, including Midge giving birth and Gosling’s Ken singing a rendition of Boys Just Want To Have Fun.
The Barbie movie is in theaters worldwide now. Check out our other coverage below:
Barbie Movie review: She’s everything, and so is Ken | Barbie ending explained: Does Barbie become human? | Best Easter eggs in the Barbie movie | Barbie 2: Everything we know so far | Does Barbie have a post-credits scene? | Barbie reviews: First reactions praise “cinematic triumph” | Is the new Barbie movie for kids? | Barbie has a Snyder Cut joke and fans are already angry | Barbie movie soundtrack: All songs, artists, & more | Barbie banned in Vietnam over infamous “nine dash line | The 33 movies that inspired Barbie | Barbie movie cast: All actors and characters