For many people around the world, Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie was a defining film of 2023, inspiring Barbie-core among other trends. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling brought a pair of plastic dolls to life, and, with the help of their director, created a heartfelt story. This past Tuesday, the film received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Ryan Gosling, and Best Supporting Actress for America Ferrera. But after seeing no Best Actress nomination for Robbie, nor a Best Director nomination for Gerwig, fans—including Gosling himself—felt like this was a major snub, and it just further proves the point of the film.
The Barbie movie was a global sensation and the first movie directed by a woman to hit $1 billion at the box office. Many thought that this popularity would be reflected in the 2024 Oscars choices. Actress Michelle Yeoh, who won Best Actress in 2023 for Everything Everywhere All at Once, was asked about her opinion on the Today show. “The only take is like, it’s so competitive out there and there is no guarantee because you’re not the only voter, you know? It’s widespread,” she says. “Thank God the movie got nominated for Best Picture. But you do think, ‘How do you get nominated for Best Picture but not Best Director and not Best Actress?’”
Gosling's portrayal of Ken was definitely one of the standout parts of the film, and while he was happy to be recognized he also shared his disappointment in the choices. “I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm also incredibly honored and proud that it's for portraying a plastic doll named Ken,” writes Gosling. “But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film. No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit, and genius.
“To say that I'm disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement. Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with other very deserving nominees.” He concludes his statement by congratulating Ferrera and other nominees from the movie in their recognitions.
While Gerwig did not receive a nomination for Best Director, she did receive a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, which she co-wrote with her husband Noah Baumbach. Additionally, Robbie, who was an executive producer on the film, is part of Barbie‘s nomination for Best Picture. The film also received nominations for Costume Design and Production Design. NPR’s Linda Holmes, who hosts Pop Culture Happy Hour, gives her perspective on the situation: “I would have loved to see Gerwig and Robbie nominated for directing and performance, but I'm glad they got other nominations. People tend to talk about the screenplay nomination Gerwig earned with Noah Baumbach as though it's inferior to a directing nomination, but is it, really? And Robbie was nominated as a producer when the film got a nod for Best Picture, and given what I've heard about the fact that her producing contributions were really active, that's a real nomination, too.”
Unfortunately, there are only a limited amount of Oscars nominations to go around with many contenders, so that was probably also a deciding factor in Robbie and Gerwig not receiving Best Actress and Best Director nominations, respectively. “There are no snubs,” Whoopi Goldberg said on The View. “That’s what you have to keep in mind: Not everybody gets a prize, and it is subjective. Movies are subjective. The movies you love may not be loved by the people who are voting.”
Regardless of the 2024 Oscars nominations, the Barbie movie has certainly cemented its place in movie history.
The Barbie movie received eight Oscars nominations, but fans felt like its leading actress and director were snubbed.
While Ryan Gosling received a nomination for Best Actor and America Ferrera received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress, Margot Robbie was not nominated for Best Actress.
Greta Gerwig was also not nominated for Best Director.
Later, Ryan Gosling made a statement about his reaction to the news.
Ryan Gosling just released a statement that directly calls out this morning’s Gerwig and Robbie snubs in best director and best actress: pic.twitter.com/gf5vQI5Z0c
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) January 23, 2024
h/t: [Bored Panda, NPR]
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