Oliver Stone apologises for slamming Ryan Gosling in City A.M. interview

Oliver Stone has apologised for telling City A.M. that Ryan Gosling was “wasting his fucking time doing that shit for money” for starring in Barbie, despite the star going on to win an Oscar nomination for the role.

In the exclusive interview the film director said Gosling was part of the “infantilization of Hollywood” and “should be doing more serious films”. 

Oliver Stone yesterday admitted to “speaking ignorantly” about Barbie, which went on to have widespread critical and popular success, with Gosling widely seen as a shrewd casting choice.

He said he “had little to no knowledge of the project beyond its title” and went on to praise the movie

“I was able to see Barbie in a theatre back in July and appreciated the film for its originality and its themes. I found the filmmakers’ approach certainly different than what l expected. I apologise for speaking ignorantly. Greta Gerwig’s 2017 film Lady Bird was one of my favourites of that year. Barbie’s box office greatly boosted the morale of our business, which was welcome. I wish Greta and the entire Barbie team good fortune at the Oscars.”

During our whirlwind interview Oliver Stone also criticised the John Wick franchise, citing it as evidence that “the world has degenerated into non-logic”.

He then spoke out against cancel culture, saying “we’re cancelling too many talented people. The world has become more puritan and boring and narrow. We should entertain all kinds of thought. That’s how we get better.” 

The director of classic movies including Platoon, Wall Street, Born on the Fourth of July and JFK has attracted criticism in the past for his views on Vladimir Putin, who he has defended since conducting a series of sympathetic interviews with the dictator.

Gosling was the only Barbie star to get a nomination, in the best supporting actor category, with Margot Robbie missing out on a best actress nod and Greta Gerwig absent in the best director category.