Oliver Stone DESTROYS Ryan Gosling for 'wasting his time' with 's***' Barbie movie and 'being part of this infantilization of Hollywood'
Legendary filmmaker Oliver Stone has criticized Ryan Gosling for agreeing to play the role of Ken in last year's multibillion-dollar Barbie movie.
Oliver, 77, made these unfiltered comments when asked about the Mattel executive who joked that he should direct a Barbie 2.
'Ridiculous. Ryan Gosling is wasting his time if he does that for money. He should make more serious films,” Oliver argued.
“He shouldn't be 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 criticized Ryan Gosling for agreeing to play the role of Ken in last year's multi-billion dollar Barbie movie (right)
Oliver, who in his early career co-wrote the screenplay for Conan The Barbarian, expressed his disdain for a new modern action franchise.
He recalled being on a flight and “watching John Wick, which is three hours long and then some” – presumably in reference to the fourth and final John Wick film, which is indeed almost three hours long.
“And I fell asleep about 778 times in the process,” Oliver said. 'I kept waking up and having to face the fact that he was killing more people. It's as if the world has degenerated into non-logic.'
Barbie is riding a wave of roaring box office success and critical acclaim, racking up a plethora of nominations this awards season.
The film marked a career change 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 one day direct herself.
“I really want to direct,” she said Deadline. 'For the past seven years I've had the feeling that I wanted to direct. But I've always seen it as a privilege, not a right.'
Through her production company Lucky Chap, she has helped bring a variety of projects to the screen, including her 2017 rollercoaster drama I, Tonya, as well as Emerald Fennell's films Promising Young Woman and Saltburn.
In addition to starring in Barbie, Margot Robbie was also a producer and recently revealed that she hopes to one day direct herself
Oliver, who in his early career co-wrote the screenplay for Conan The Barbarian (pictured), expressed his disdain for a new modern action franchise
He recalled being on a flight where he “watched John Wick, that's three hours and something” – presumably in reference to the fourth and final John Wick film.
The most resounding success to date, however, is Barbie, which turned out to be a global juggernaut that crossed the billion dollar mark at the box office.
“I've been slowly working towards feeling like I've earned the right to direct,” Margot said, “and I feel like I'm getting close to that feeling now.”
Oliver himself directed a series of critically acclaimed politically-oriented films with a left-wing slant, including Born On The Fourth Of July, JFK and Wall Street.
In recent years he has been embroiled in controversy for his softball interviews with Vladimir Putin and his documentary Ukraine On Fire.
About a year ago, he chaired 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,” Oliver said; Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are pictured in Fast Five in 2011
The Red Sea International Film Festival, which emphasizes showcasing Third World talent, takes place in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.
From the start, the film festival was crushed abroad by those who viewed it as a propaganda campaign to cleanse 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 today's world.”
According to a report in Deadline, he argued: 'You see the changes coming here, the reforms. I think people who judge too harshly should visit this place and see for themselves.”