There are so many “sublime” lines of dialogue in the Barbie movie. However, the one I think a lot of us can’t stop thinking about, including Margot Robbie, is when Ryan Gosling’s Ken aggressively yells the aforementioned “sublime” after Barbie tells him she wants to be his “long-term distance low-commitment casual girlfriend.” It turns out, this moment of improv was actually the line that made the titular star laugh the most on set, and she gave a great reason why.
If you look back at Barbie’s reviews and reception, you’ll see that Ryan Gosling’s performance as Ken is one of the many hilarious highlights consistently mentioned. He really committed to the bit, and embraced his Ken-ergy fully! So, as he played the character, he came up with hysterical bits of dialogue to throw in. “Sublime” was one that caught Robbie so off guard, she couldn’t help but crack up. While speaking with ET, she said:
The one that I always — It was one line that Ryan improvised on the day. When he yells out ‘sublime.’ I wasn’t prepared for that, that wasn’t in the script and to this day, that makes me laugh.
Watching that scene myself, I crack up every time. However, I can’t imagine how much funnier it would have been to experience it live and without the knowledge that it was coming.
In the movie, this moment definitely comes as a shock. After Barbie goes to Ken’s mojo dojo casa house and says she’s ready to be his “long-term distance low-commitment casual girlfriend” he gets very, very excited. However, he doesn’t want to show it in front of Robbie’s doll, because he wants to be cool. So, he walks around the door, screams “sublime,” and then walks back. However, there are no walls in Barbie Land…so Barbie heard everything.
When it comes to the story behind this “sublime” scene, Greta Gerwig said it was Gosling’s idea for Ken to have a “private moment that [Barbie] can hear.” However, it was actually the Oscar-nominated writer and director who came up with the line, noting that she thought it was “the oddest word.” However, she did have the La La Land star throw in some alternate options, and outtakes feature him yelling things like: “Finally! My rainbow after the storm!”
Personally, I love that this improvised moment is the one that made Margot Robbie laugh the hardest. When I saw Barbie a second time, I noticed more details, including Ken’s unique vocabulary. It’s on full display in this scene, and the way he expresses excitement and explains his feelings and actions is 100% one of the funniest things about the movie.
However, the entire Barbie cast is truly “sublime,” and as award season kicks into high gear, hopefully, they all get recognition for both their masterful comedic and dramatic performances.
Overall, I’m so happy Margot Robbie highlighted this moment and showed her love for her truly hilarious co-star. This moment also shows why Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s efforts to “protect” the movie worked so well. People clearly love these unique and silly moments — I mean Barbie is one of the most successful films on the 2023 movie schedule for a reason — and I’m so happy they’re getting the love they deserve!
To see the “sublime” scene, you can currently rent or buy Barbie online.