Legendary filmmaker Oliver Stone has lambasted Ryan Gosling for agreeing to star as Ken in last year’s billion-dollar Barbie movie.
Oliver, 77, made the unfiltered remarks when he was asked about the Mattel executive who quipped that he should direct a Barbie 2.
‘Ridiculous. Ryan Gosling is wasting his time if he’s doing that s*** for money. He should be doing more serious films,’ Oliver argued.
‘He shouldn’t be a part of this infantilization of Hollywood. Now it’s all fantasy, fantasy, fantasy, including all the war pictures: fantasy, fantasy,’ he added.
‘Even the Fast and Furious movies, which I used to enjoy, have become like Marvel movies. I mean, how many crashes can you see?’
Legendary filmmaker Oliver Stone (left) has lambasted Ryan Gosling for agreeing to star as Ken in last year’s billion-dollar Barbie movie (right)
Oliver, who in his early career co-wrote the screenplay for Conan The Barbarian, expressed his contempt for another modern action franchise.
He recalled being on a flight where he ‘watched John Wick, which is three hours and then some’ – presumably in reference to the fourth and latest John Wick movie, which is indeed nearly three hours long.
‘And I fell asleep about 778 times during it,’ said Oliver. ‘I kept waking up and having to face him killing more people. It’s like the world has degenerated into non-logic.’
Barbie has been riding high on a wave of thunderous box office success and acclaim, scooping up nominations galore this awards season.
The movie marked a career shift for director Greta Gerwig, who was previously known for helming the smaller-scale critical darlings Lady Bird and Little Women.
In addition to starring in Barbie, Margot Robbie was also a producer, and recently revealed that she hopes to break into directing herself one day.
‘I really do want to direct,’ she told Deadline. ‘I’ve felt like I wanted to direct for about the last seven years. But I’ve always seen it as a privilege, not a right.’
Through her Lucky Chap production company, she has helped shepherd a variety of projects to the screen, including her rollercoaster 2017 dramedy I, Tonya, as well as Emerald Fennell’s movies Promising Young Woman and Saltburn.
In addition to starring in Barbie, Margot Robbie was also a producer, and recently revealed that she hopes to break into directing herself one day
Oliver, who in his early career co-wrote the screenplay for Conan The Barbarian (pictured), expressed his contempt for another modern action franchise
He recalled being on a flight where he ‘watched John Wick, which is three hours and then some’ – presumably in reference to the fourth and latest John Wick movie
However its most resounding success to date is Barbie, which proved to be a global juggernaut that crossed a billion dollars at the box office.
‘I’ve been slowly working towards the feeling that I’ve earned the right to direct,’ said Margot: ‘and I feel I’m getting close to that feeling now.’
Oliver himself has directed a string of acclaimed politically-tinged films with a left-wing bent, including Born On The Fourth Of July, JFK and Wall Street.
In recent years he has been plunged into controversy over his softball interviews with Vladimir Putin and his documentary Ukraine On Fire.
About a year ago, he served as president of the international jury at the 2022 Red Sea international Film Festival in Saudi Arabia.
”Even the Fast and Furious movies, which I used to enjoy, have become like Marvel movies,’ said Oliver; Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are pictured in Fast Five in 2011
The Red Sea International Film Festival, which has an emphasis on highlighting Third World talent, takes place in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.
From the off, the film festival was slammed abroad by those who regarded it as an propaganda drive to sanitize the public image of the Saudi state.
At the opening ceremony of the 2022 edition, Oliver gave a speech defending the local regime as ‘misunderstood in the present world.’
According to a report in Deadline, he argued: ‘You see the changes that are coming here, the reforms. I think people who judge too harshly should come and visit this place and see for themselves.’
