Ryan Gosling Explains How He Maintained His Ripped ‘Barbie’ Physique

Gosling explained details of his relentless diet to 'Variety,' which included constant exercise, dance lessons, and limited food intake.

Ryan Gosling spoke to Variety ahead of the Academy Awards in March, where the Barbie star is nominated for his turn as Ken in the Best Supporting Actor category. During the interview, Gosling shed some light on how he achieved and maintained his stunningly ripped physique for the role, which required him to perform multiple dance sequences and strip down for several beach-offs.

During production, Gosling reported, he exercised four hours a day in addition to taking dance classes to hone his skills. He also severely limited his diet, taking in next to nothing. “It was just, like, coffee,” according to the actor.

However, his co-star, Margot Robbie, disputes those extreme claims. “I saw him at the Thai truck a couple of times,” she said of lunchtime during the Barbie shoot. “Don’t feel too sorry for him,” she implored.

But Robbie did vouch for Gosling’s fitness prep, telling Variety he did indeed work as hard as he said he did. “I know for a fact he was in the gym a lot, because I was in the gym a lot too,” Robbie said, “and he was in there way more than me.”

Barbie is hardly the first time Gosling has bulked up on-screen. He got similarly in shape for the 2011 comedy Crazy Stupid Love. For that role, he cut out sweets and limited himself to consuming bananas and protein shakes. He also exercised five days a week, two hours a day.

Gosling expressed some distaste for the process, though, telling Men’s Journal that he didn’t feel like his muscles were giving him much in return. “After a while,” he said, “they’re like pets, because they don’t do anything useful. But you have to feed them and take care of them. Otherwise, they’ll go away.”