One of the most highly-anticipated 2023 new movie releases is almost here in the form of Barbie, and I have a feeling it’s about to be classic. As moviegoers count down to the summer premiere, Harry Potter star Tom Felton is comparing his beloved character to that of Ryan Gosling’s Ken, and honestly, he’s onto something.
Tom Felton knows the woes of dying his hair bleach blonde considering he did so for a decade while playing the role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. As we await Barbie, Felton took to Instagram to compare his character to Ken. Check it out:
The British actor found a screenshot of Ryan Gosling’s Ken looking a tad disgusted and went ahead and made a side-by-side with his Draco Malfoy. They definitely look alike here. Here’s his clever caption:
Kind of pissed I never got a callback #sLYTHERKeN
Oh no, he’s even using Ken puns like Ryan Gosling has been during the press tour, as his post included the phrase “Slyther-Ken.” Gosling has been going around making “Ken-ergy” a thing while speaking about Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, and Barbie herself, Margot Robbie, even spoke to “knowing you are Ken-nough” while defending the Kens of the world.
The comment section was obviously having a blast with Tom Felton’s latest post, with one saying “you’re Harry’s Ken. Don’t worry,” whereas many others were discussing how they look so alike they “can’t see the difference” between the photos or even look like “father and son.” One Harry Potter fan pointed out that Ryan Gosling’s Ken is clearly a Hufflepuff rather than a Slytherin because he’s so loyal to Barbie that it hurts.
It’s a fun little mashup Tom Felton pointed out, because yes, these two characters look very much alike. Though why does Draco need to be Ken when Draco Malfoy has already become a Mattel doll? Technically Draco Malfoy might be in the Barbie universe already depending on how meta the Warner Bros. franchise may get with all the different lines of Barbies and Kens out there.
While I haven’t seen Barbie just yet (though critics have, and they love it), what I have seen has established the world of Barbieland is where all the Barbies have jobs and fulfilling lives, and the Kens are simply accessories without professions to call their own. I also know that Ryan Gosling’s Ken will follow Margot Robbie’s Barbie into the real world after she has some kind of existential crisis that leaves her feet flat and such.
Amidst Barbie hitting theaters this Friday, July 21, it’s fun to see Tom Felton engage in the discourse and bring up this comparison. Now I’m not going to be able to unsee this Draco and Ken side-by-side.