Greta Gerwig's Barbie features multiple iterations of Barbies and Kens living in ‘Barbie Land’. The Barbies live in Dream Houses and are lawyers, Nobel Prize winners, doctors and politicians. The Kens are ornamental – to the extent Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) doesn’t even know where they sleep at night.
10 Emcee Ken (Chris Taylor)
Emcee Ken is only seen very briefly, in a flashback when Beach Ken is explaining to Barbie how patriarchy has taken over. He awards the Nobel Prize in ‘Horses’ (in precisely what context remains unknown) to a jubilant Ken. He wears a dapper burgundy ruffle-shirt tux and bow tie.
Chris Taylor starred on the British version of reality show Love Island, of which Robbie was a huge fan. They met at a party where she recognized Taylor and offered him the cameo.
9 Earring Magic Ken (Tom Stourton)
Earring Magic Ken lives in Weird Barbie’s (Kate McKinnon) house with the other discontinued Barbies and Kens. He wears a fabulous purple t-shirt and vest with jeweled accessories (including the infamous earring). He helps the Barbies in preparing for their fight against the Kens.
This 1993 Ken caused a scandal on release and was gleefully adopted by the male gay community (who reportedly made it the best-selling Ken of all time). Tom Stourton, from Horrible Histories and All My Friends Hate Me fame, plays Earring Magic Ken as clearly queer coded and said he felt “very honored to represent that iconic Ken”.
8 Sugar Daddy Ken (Rob Brydon)
Sugar Daddy Ken is an elegant, out-of-place silver fox, clad in a handsome paisley green blazer and immaculate white pants. Like Magic Earring Ken he lives in Weird Barbie’s house. Sugar Daddy Ken is careful to point out that his moniker comes from his small dog being named ‘Sugar” and him, therefore, being ‘Sugar’s Daddy’.
‘Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken’ was indeed a real doll, met with considerable controversy on its release in 2009. Rob Brydon was cast due to Robbie being a big fan of British sitcom Gavin & Stacey, in which Brydon played Uncle Bryn.
7 Merman Ken (John Cena)
When Barbie returns to Barbie Land with Gloria (America Ferrera) and Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), one of the first signs of trouble occurs at the beach. Not only are Kens – instead of Barbies – playing volleyball, a blonde long-haired Merman Ken (John Cena) waves from the ocean. Mermaid Barbie (Dua Lipa) is busy serving him a brewski beer. Later, during the beachside guitar performance of ‘Push’, Merman Ken joins in from the waves – serenading his Barbie with a ukulele.
It was a hilarious stroke of genius to cast a WWE star as a merman with luscious locks. Cena pitched himself for a cameo during filming Fast X, which was directly across the street from the Barbie set.
6 Financial Advisor Ken (Scott Evans)
This Ken’s most memorable scene is mansplaining finance (“not music, CD stands for certificate of deposit!”) to Lawyer Barbie (Sharon Rooney). He also gives a smug TV interview to a fawning (brainwashed) Journalist Barbie (Ritu Arya) about the Ken’s Constitutional Challenge. He appears to win some kind of horse-related Nobel Prize, and rides a hobby-horse in the Battle of Kens at the side of ribbon-twirling Backflips Ken (Simu Liu)
Scott Evans has described the experience of filming Barbie as one where “every day was just the best day of my life”. Of the Kens’ struggle for meaning and purpose, Evans said “the thing about the Ken's not having much to them is what gives them actually a lot to them”.
5 Loved-Up Ken (Ncuti Gatwa)
Ncuti Gatwa's Ken fumes “does the title of ‘long term distance, low commitment, casual girlfriend' mean nothing?!” after Physicist Barbie (Emma Mackey) abandons him at the campfire guitar recital. During the ‘Ken is Me!’ epiphany, this loved-up Ken realizes he doesn’t care anymore – “I just miss my friend Barbie!” His Barbie lovingly rushes to his side, proving some Barbies and Kens are still meant to be.
Gatwa originally auditioned for another role in Barbie, but was called back months later to audition for one of the main Kens. He was delighted to learn Mackey, his Sex Education co-star, had been cast as 'his' Barbie and sent her a message of himself lip-syncing to Aqua’s 'Barbie Girl' in celebration.
4 Drummer Ken (Kingsley Ben-Adir)
Kingsley Ben-Adir's Ken is Beach Ken’s right-hand man – wielding a tennis racket beside him in battle, holding his ice cream, inheriting his mink – and informing Backflips Ken that “anyone who wants to beach him off has to beach me off first”. He brings an entire drum kit to the beach for the Kens’ campfire performance of ‘Push’. Drummer Ken’s other best moment is mansplaining The Godfather to President Barbie (Issa Rae).
Ben-Adir described making Barbie as “constant energy and good vibes” and said “the humor that we've created it's really, really playful and really spontaneous”. For viewers of Marvel’s Secret Invasion, it’s an extra special delight to see murderous Gravik clad in pastels and double denim.
3 Backflips Ken (Simu Liu)
Beach Ken’s greatest nemesis is, of course, another Ken. This Ken mocks him during his surfing failure, flirts with his Barbie and dazzles her on the dance floor with his backflips. Clad in his green tank top and lime-colored beach shorts, Backflips Ken leads the rival faction into battle against Beach Ken, Drummer Ken and Loved-Up Ken. When the beach fight becomes an avant-garde ballet, Backflips Ken is ready for a dance-off.
Liuis fantastic as the antagonistic, bitchy Ken, almost stealing the show from Gosling. Of his role, and the Barbies and Kens in general, Liu described them as “like kids that are just trying to play-act what they think of the world, and there's a real childlike innocence to that”.
2 Allan (Michael Cera)
Poor Allan. There’s only one of him, he’s always sidelined – and during the Ken Revolution he has to help the Barbies’ massage the Kens’ feet. But there’s more to him than meets the eye – he attempts to escape to the real world with Gloria and Sasha, and reveals previous iterations of Allan successfully did so (going on to form NSYNC). He takes on the Construction Worker Kens clad only in his signature stripy beach shirt, blue short-shorts and flip-flops. And most importantly, Allan helps the Barbies take back Barbie Land.
Michael Cerais hilarious as Allan – an original Barbie-series doll that was discontinued in 1965. He described his character as “definitely on the periphery of the Barbie and Ken world, but that's kind of where he belongs”. Co-star Gatwa (Loved-Up Ken) claimed “Allen is everything” and that “if the Allan doll doesn’t come back there’s no justice in the world”.
1 Beach Ken (Ryan Gosling)
This Ken “only has a good day when Barbie looks at him” – and that’s the problem. Ken’s journey in Barbie is one of self acceptance and discovery – from living to impress his Barbie, to staging a patriarchal coup (a confusing mix of mini fridges, mink coats and horses), to finally realizing that “Ken is Me”.
Gosling gives an incredible performance as Ken, one that’s as equally funny as it is touching – from his boyish excitement at discovering patriarchy to the deep, hidden sadness in his eyes when evicting Barbie from his 'Mojo Dojo Casa House'. When Barbie tells Gloria she “doesn’t want to hurt him” the viewer understands. Even though Ken infected Barbie Land with patriarchy, beneath the beach clothes/cowboy suit/mink is a lonely, confused doll just looking for the meaning of his existance.
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