Ryan Gosling Reacts to Barbie Fans Who Say He's 'Not My Ken': 'There Are Many Other Kens to Play With'

Ryan Gosling has a message for Barbie fans who don't think he's a good fit to play Ken.

“I would say, you know, if people don’t want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with," Gosling, 42, told GQ in a new cover interview published Wednesday, when asked of stories published by outlets like the New York Post regarding some fans' disapproval of his casting in the upcoming Barbie movie.

“It is funny, this kind of clutching-your-pearls idea of, like, #notmyken," he continued. "Like you ever thought about Ken before this?”

Earlier in the interview, Gosling had pointed out that Ken's "job has been beach" since the doll was first introduced by toy company Mattel decades ago, a point he returned to while stating his interest in the character's story within the upcoming movie.

"And everyone was fine with that, for him to have a job that is nothing. But suddenly, it’s like, ‘No, we’ve cared about Ken this whole time.’ No, you didn’t," Gosling told the outlet. "You never did. You never cared. Barbie never f----- with Ken. That’s the point."

"If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. So your hypocrisy is exposed," Gosling added. "This is why his story must be told.”

The First Man actor joked to the outlet that working on Barbie with costar/producer Margot Robbie and filmmaker Greta Gerwig has made him "care about this dude now," in reference to his character.

"I’m like his representative," Gosling said. "‘Ken couldn’t show up to receive this award, so I’m here to accept it for him.’ "

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Gosling's promotion for the upcoming Barbie movie — which appears to follow Barbie (Robbie) and Ken as they travel from Barbie Land to experience the real world — has brought about notable press appearances, including his memorable uses of the phrase "Ken-ergy."

"I only knew Ken from afar. I didn't know Ken from within, and if I'm being really honest I doubted my Ken-ergy," the actor told an audience during Warner Bros. Pictures' presentation at at CinemaCon 2023 in April. "I didn't see it, but Margot and Greta, they conjured this out of me somehow."

"It was like I was living my life and then one day I was bleaching my hair, shaving my legs and wearing bespoke neon outfits and rollerblading down Venice Beach," he joked at one point during the presentation. "It came on like a light scarlet fever. Then I woke up one day and was like, 'Why is there fake tanner in my sheets? What just happened?' "

In addition to Gosling and Robbie, Barbie's cast also includes America Ferrera, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya and Dua Lipa.

Barbie is in theaters July 21.