Oliver Stone Warns Ryan Gosling to Stay Away From “Sh*t” Movies Like Barbie
What’s a famous director who doesn’t make some splashy headlines? As evident in his opinions on Barbie, Oliver Stone wholeheartedly believes in this statement since he is one of the most controversial yet successfully acclaimed filmmakers of our time. Known for movies like Platoon, Wall Street, and JFK, the Oscar-winning director seldom minces his words, and he had a lot to say regarding the recent success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
Oliver Stone’s Opinion on Barbie
It’s unclear whether Oliver Stone has watched the movie or has formed an opinion based on the massive marketing plan undertaken by the studios. Nonetheless, Stone believes movies like Barbie have infantilized the world of cinema where more serious and plot-centric movies should get center stage.
He gave special focus to Ryan Gosling, the iconic Ken in the Barbie world, and shared his opinion in an interview with CityAM. The interview was for Stone to talk about his latest documentary, Nuclear Now, in 2023. However, the interviewer asked Stone if he would be up for directing Barbie 2, to which he replied,
“Ridiculous. Ryan Gosling is wasting his time if he’s doing that shit for money. He should be doing more serious films. 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. Even the Fast and Furious movies, which I used to enjoy, have become like Marvel movies. I mean, how many crashes can you see?”
Stone did not hold back while expressing his disdain towards the direction Hollywood is taking. Not just that, the entire interview can be seen as a giant rant on everything Stone hates about the world in general and the movie industry in particular. He further claimed that he fell asleep while watching John Wick on the plane.
“I fell asleep about 778 times during it. I kept waking up and having to face him killing more people. It’s like the world has degenerated into non-logic,” he added.
Other Celebrities Who Disliked Barbie
The immensely popular flick Barbie made history by being the highest-grossing movie by a woman director. With an emphasis on smashing patriarchy and women finding their rightful place in the world, Barbie made people rethink their stand on the current status quo between genders. On the other hand, Stone’s comments are evidence of the constant battle of themes in Hollywood where people are divided on the kind of content we should present to the masses.
Bill Maher, another notable celebrity, did not like how peachy and ‘man-hating’ Barbie movie was. More right-winged pundits expressed their views on how the movie had no foundation. Senator Ted Cruz even went as far as to say that the movie is one big ‘propaganda.’ Regardless of the backlash the movie received from some people, Barbie’s makers and cast kept their heads held high and even proved everyone wrong by being nominated in almost every category of the Academy Awards.
