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  • “What’s wrong with you?”: Margot Robbie’s friends can’t believe she never kisses Ken in Barbie -TGN

“What’s wrong with you?”: Margot Robbie’s friends can’t believe she never kisses Ken in Barbie -TGN

Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Barbie.

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  • Margot Robbie’s friends were surprised that she and Ryan Gosling’s Ken don’t kiss in the Barbie movie, leading them to question her role as producer.

  • Barbie and Ken are close, but do not share a romantic relationship in the film, with Barbie explicitly stating that she is not interested in Ken in that way.

  • Ken undergoes a transformation throughout the film, embracing toxic power structures, but eventually realizes he doesn’t need them to find fulfillment, as Barbie cheers him on in their last heart-to-heart.

Margot Robbie friends were left in disbelief that she never kisses Ryan Gosling’s Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film, in which the star reveals that she was even asked “What is wrong with you?”. Robbie directed and produced Gerwig’s adaptation of the beloved Mattel toyline, in which a Barbie ventures out of the safety of Barbie Land in hopes of finding answers to her life in the real world. Robbie is joined by Gosling and several recognizable faces Barbie‘s all-star cast, including America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman and Helen Mirren.

While Barbie earned critical acclaim and dominated theaters in its opening weekend, Robbie revealed People that her friends were surprised by one thing that didn’t happen. The star explained that Robbie’s Barbie and Gosling’s Ken never share a kiss in the movie, and her friends even went so far as to ask why it never happened despite her involvement as a producer. Watch Robbie’s full memory below:

“All my girlfriends said, ‘Well, you did a whole movie with him and you don’t kiss?’ “What’s wrong with you? I thought you were in charge of this case!” I was like, ‘I know, I can’t check that off (my list).'”

How Barbie and Ken’s relationship dynamics are changing throughout Barbie

While Robbie’s Barbie and Gosling’s Ken can bond closely and serve as the protagonists of Barbie, the pair have no romantic relationship throughout the film, with Barbie even stating that she doesn’t see herself as romantically interested in Ken. Ken, on the other hand, takes an interest in Barbie and tries to earn her affections, even venturing into the real world with her to find the source of her problems. As Barbie embarks on her own quest to discover who she is, he also undergoes his own life-changing journey that leads to Gosling’s Ken becoming a surprising adversary.

Learning from patriarchal systems of power that he believes initially validate his worth as an individual, Ken returns to Barbie Land alone, usurping the Barbie government and installing a male-dominated power structure inspired by what he saw in the real world. Despite this, the Kendom he founded doesn’t bring him the happiness he hoped for, as nothing he thought was a priority met what he really wanted. After the Barbies restore their world for the better, she sees a heart-to-heart with Barbie that she encourages him that he didn’t need her or the toxic power systems he subconsciously embraced to find meaning, telling him that his “Just Kenwould be enough to give him a fulfilling life Barbie‘s last act.

Related: Barbie Movie Ending Explained – What The Villain Twist & Barbie’s Decision Mean

While Robbie’s friends may lament the lack of romance between Barbie and Ken as a missed opportunity for the star, the duo’s journey has undoubtedly helped Barbie resonate with the public. In addition to Robbie and Gosling’s celebrated performances, both characters have their own deeply personal struggles that are fully explored throughout the film’s runtime. Even though Barbie and Ken aren’t in a romantic relationship, their journey together is an emotional, heartfelt story that leads them both to find what they need in life, despite Ken’s turn in the second half.

Source: People