Why force two icons to fight against each other when we can have both?
The question of why two icons must be pitted against each other is one fans online are constantly asking, and it recently came up about Glen Powell and Ryan Gosling. Instead of celebrating two stars who get people into theaters, they were compared, and fans didn’t like it.
According to an article from The Wrap, an unnamed Hollywood producer was talking about Powell’s star power. The producer stated that Powell is one of the biggest actors out there right now because if he’s in a movie, people will go to see it. But then he took it one step further. This producer decided to make a comparison against another actor in the process of lifting up Powell.
“Unlike an actor like Ryan Gosling whose appeal is mostly limited to female audiences, Glen appeals to both females and males,” the producer said. That’s just a false statement. Movies like Drive, Blade Runner 2049, and even The Nice Guys have made Gosling a staple for male audiences. So saying that Powell, who is currently an internet heartthrob, has that audience over Gosling just feels disingenuous.
It got to the point where so many people pushed back against the idea. While there was plenty of love for Powell in the responses, fans pointed out the producer’s assessment was wrong and that both men and women love Gosling. Even Powell himself joined the conversation, writing, “Gosling is a legend. I’m just Glen.”
The reality is that Powell will get people to go to theaters, but that doesn’t discount Gosling’s ability to do the same. Last year, he was in Barbie, which made over $1 billion dollars. This year, The Fall Guy didn’t do quite so well, but it’s a bit early to claim Powell couldn’t have a similar box office miss.
Why pit two queens against each other?
Fans have taken this moment to point out that Powell and Gosling are both charismatic, handsome men that people will go to theaters to see. So instead of comparing them, why not celebrate them both?
If you combine their joint slay together, you will have everyone talking about our favorite cowboys. Powell is a legitimate cowboy and Ken—eh … Gosling loves horses. It’s a match made in heaven.
The point is that both actors have the ability and the appeal to get people into theaters. So really we should be celebrating them both and putting them in a movie together—for everyone who just loves watching Powell and Gosling in movies.
Is this how we save cinema? By putting everyone’s favorite Kens (or Glens) in a movie together and letting them out sweet boy each other?
Hollywood: Take note. We don’t want to make the boys fight. Instead, we just want them to be in a movie together so we can maximize our time in the cinema! You owe this to us, producer who thinks that Gosling doesn’t appeal to everyone. Right your wrong!
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