‘Proud’ Eva Mendes praises Ryan Gosling after he received ‘shame’ for ‘Barbie’ role

Eva Mendes is praising her longtime love, Ryan Gosling, after he received an Oscar nomination for playing Ken in “Barbie”— and she’s calling out the naysayers who questioned his kenergy.

On Jan. 23, Gosling was announced as one of the nominees for best actor in a supporting role for his hilarious performance in the record-breaking film. Mendes, who has been in a relationship with the 43-year-old actor since 2011 and shares two children with him, celebrated his nod with an Instagram post the following day.

“So proud of my man,” she wrote in the caption. “So much hate when he took on this role. So many people trying to shame him for doing it.”

The “Hitch” star, 49, continued, “Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious, heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to Oscars.”

At the end of the post, she sweetly added, “So beyond proud to be this Ken’s Barbie” and included a heart emoji.

Co-star America Ferrera, who received an Oscar nod for best actress in a supporting role for her character, Gloria, further complimented Gosling in the comments.

She wrote, “He is brilliant as Ken! Pulled off a triple somersault performance! We’re so lucky it was him and I’m so grateful for the way he showed up with his super stardom, and continues to show up to support all the women in this process!!”

Ferrera applauded him for being “a class act and insanely deserving and talented.”

Beside the caption, Mendes uploaded a slideshow of screenshots from a Rolling Stone article published in June 2022. The headline read, “Sorry to Be the One to Say It, but Ryan Gosling Is Giving Major Cringe as Ken in ‘Barbie.’”

The article was a reaction to first-look images from the film that revealed Gosling’s bleach-blond hair and denim outfit. Writer Tomás Mier described Gosling’s version of Ken as “giving full camp, full cringe” and predicted having “nightmares.”

“We’re not sure how Mattel is going to feel about this,” Mier wrote, adding a little later in the article, “‘La La Land’ homeboy looks like one of those creepy, older West Hollywood men who still think they’re in their 20s.”

Mier wasn’t the only one who was initially skeptical. The picture went viral and Gosling addressed it on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” at the time.

“I was surprised by how, you know, some people were kind of clutching their pearls about my Ken as if they ever thought about Ken for a second before this. They never played with Ken!” Gosling said in July 2022.

When the movie arrived a year later, audiences praised Gosling for his comedic timing, commitment to the role and his unforgettable performance of “I’m Just Ken.”

Now, he’s a three-time Oscar nominee. He will be competing with Sterling K. Brown (“American Fiction”), Robert De Niro (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”) and Mark Ruffalo (“Poor Things”).

Gosling reacted to his recognition in a statement obtained by NBC News. While he appreciated being nominated, he also said he was “disappointed” star Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig were left out of the best actress and director categories, respectively.

“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 being saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken,” he said.

He added, “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.”

At the end of his statement, he concluded, “Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”

“Barbie” was nominated in eight categories, including best picture, for which Robbie is nominated as one of the film’s producers. Gerwig received a nod in the adapted screenplay category.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com