Oliver Stone Apologizes After Saying Ryan Gosling Was "Wasting His Time" Making Barbie

Director Oliver Stone has issued an apology after saying Ryan Gosling was "wasting his time" starring in the Barbie movie and should instead focus on "more serious films."

Posting on social media, Stone said he "had little to no knowledge" of what the Barbie movie was beyond its title when he made his comments in June 2023. When he saw the movie, he said he "appreciated the film for its originality and its themes."

"I found the filmmakers' approach certainly different than what I expected. I apologize for speaking ignorantly."

A three-time Oscar-winner, Stone is known for the movies Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK, and Snowden.

Stone also praised director Greta Gerwig's 2017 movie Lady Bird, which he said was one of his favorite films of that year. What's more, Stone praised Barbie for helping to improve the fortunes of the box office overall.

Speaking with City AM in June 2023, Stone said Gosling is "wasting his time if he's doing that shit for money," regarding his role as Ken in Barbie. "He should be doing more serious films. He shouldn't be part of this infantilization of Hollywood."

Gosling was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as Ken, marking his third nomination after Half Nelson and La La Land.

Stone also mentioned how he watched John Wick on an airplane and "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 said.

Stone also took a shot at the popular and beloved Fast & Furious series, saying, "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's latest project is the documentary Nuclear Now, which presents findings about how the world can use nuclear energy to meet the existential crisis of climate change.