Oscar-Winner Frances McDormand’s Weird Fascination With Ken Doll Would Make Ryan Gosling Very Proud
Frances McDormand is known for some of the classic cult favorites of critics, such as Nomadland, Burn After Reading, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Coen Brother’s Fargo, and many more. She has four Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award to her name, and she is famously acclaimed for making a distinction in small-budget indie movies. Frances McDormand is the second actress in Hollywood to win best actress three times.
It might be weird to know that this brilliant actress is actually fascinated with Ken Dolls and even has her Oscar dressed up as one. The news would probably make Ryan Gosling break out into a happier I’m Just Ken musical in real life.
Frances McDormand and her obsession with Ken Dolls
Frances McDormand’s obsession with Ken Dolls is nothing new for cinephiles who follow her interviews with a religious passion. In October 2014, an interview with her came out in The New York Times, where the interviewer noticed that she had fastened a tiny Ken Doll sunglass to an Oscar trophy at her home.
Also Read: Four-Time Oscar Winner Frances McDormand Could Join MCU Says Chloé Zhao
Recently, in an interview with Deadline, Promising Young Woman and Saltburn director Emerald Fennell opened up about how Frances McDormand gave a glimpse of her Ken Doll obsession to Fennell when she won the Oscar:
“After the incredible surprise and joy of winning an Academy Award two years ago, I was lining up for the Porta-Potty because it was Covid times and things were like a wedding. Frances McDormand was queuing behind me, and I was holding the Oscar, completely shell-shocked.”
She said this while recounting the unforgettable experience. She went on to recount that Frances McDormand said to her how Ken Doll’s clothes fit the Oscar trophy perfectly:
“She saw me and she leaned in said, “Do you want to know my advice?” And I said, “Yes, please.” And she said, “Ken doll clothes fit him exactly.” I was like, “Oh.” And immediately in the moment when I was so shaken, just her being funny calmed me down. And it was the best advice I’ve ever had.”
It is indeed funny to think what Ryan Gosling would not give to be a fly on the wall during that conversation, given that he recently reprised Ken Doll for the silver screens in Greta Gerwig’s live-action Barbie.
Frances McDormand was almost bullied into accepting her Oscar-winning role
One of McDormand’s most memorable performances is in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. This 2017 crime drama brought her a lot of recognition and even a nod from the Oscars. It will be surprising for the fans to know that Frances McDormand was actually reluctant to play this role at first due to her age.
In a TIFF press conference, via IndieWire, she opens up about her hesitation in detail:
“When I first read it, I loved it, I thought Mildred was amazing. I was very flattered, but then I said, ‘No, I’m sorry, I’m too old. Because at the time he gave it to me I was 58…I was concerned that women from this socioeconomic strata did not wait until 38 to have their first child.”
Also Read: Fun Movies That Start Out As Comedies But Have Surprisingly Dark Endings
In the same press conference, she revealed that it was actually her husband, Joel Coen, who ultimately convinced her to take on this role. To quote her:
“So we went back and forth and we debated that quite for a while, and then finally my husband said, ‘Just shut up and do it.’”
The rest is history, as without Frances McDormand, we would not have gotten such a layered and nuanced portrayal of a mother dealing with loss, grief, and anger on the big screen.
Frances McDormand was last seen in the critically acclaimed movie by Sarah Polley called Women Talking, which deals with s*xual abuse in a cult-like religious community. It got nominated for the Oscars.
