Eva Mendes pokes fun at Ryan Gosling's Critics Choice win

Ryan Gosling’s Critics Choice side-eye became a new meme. Eva Mendes loves him for that

Jan. 16, 2024 10:08 AM PT

The internet library of Ryan Gosling reaction shots welcomed a new entry, and his longtime partner Eva Mendes has already put it to good use.

Over the weekend, Gosling joined his “Barbie” crew in Santa Monica at the Barker Hangar for the 29th Critics Choice Awards. “Barbie” picked up six prizes — including a seemingly unexpected win for Gosling’s song “I’m Just Ken.”

As presenters Bella Ramsey and Anthony Ramos announced the winner of the night’s song category, the camera zoomed in on Gosling, who furrowed his brow and looked side to side. Then he turned his head and side-eyed the camera. The clip circulated social media on Sunday, as users poked fun at the “Drive” star’s reaction.

A quick search on X (formerly Twitter) shows that Gosling’s other appearances in films including “The Notebook,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Drive” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and more have been turned into reaction GIFs.

Mendes also had fun with the newest viral Gosling clip, posting a GIF version of the actor’s side-eye to her Instagram page on Monday.

“I LOVE HIM!!!!,” the “Training Day” actor captioned the rare post about her longtime partner. Gosling, 43, and Mendes, 49, met in 2011 and share two young daughters.

“I’m Just Ken” producer Mark Ronson accepted the Critics Choice Award alongside co-songwriter Andrew Wyatt. He said that the prize equally belonged to Gosling, who shook his head and raised his eyebrows seemingly out of shock at the surprise win.

“Ryan Gosling, this is as much your award as ours,” Ronson said. “You made the world, the audience fall in love with this song with your matchless performance, so thank you.”

“I’m Just Ken,” a self-aware rock ballad that muses on toxic masculinity and Ken’s role in a Barbie world, bested Dua Lipa‘s “Dance the Night,” Jack Black‘s “Peaches,” Lenny Kravitz‘s “Road to Freedom,” Ariana DeBose‘s “This Wish” and Billie Eilish and Finneas’ ”What Was I Made For?” Two of the other nominated songs were also from the “Barbie” movie: “Dance the Night” and “What Was I Made For?”

The “Barbie” earworm became so popular upon the film’s July release that Gosling and Ronson teamed for several remixes in December. The Oscar nominee and Ronson also reunited for a Christmastime version of the song, and its accompanying music video.

Ronson concluded his acceptance speech on Sunday by thanking “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig for carving out time in her movie for Ken’s “prog-rock power ballad, dream ballet, shred-fest so the boys could cry and hold hands a little too.”

He continued: “We really are forever in your debt for that.”