In adding his voice to the chorus of those praising the climactic moment for how it purportedly brings awareness to the ‘female experience’, Yellowstone star Kevin Costner took a moment during an on-stage appearance at the 2024 Golden Globe awards to offer a personal tip of his hat to the “important message” of Barbie‘s climactic, Greta Gerwig-written, America Ferrera-delivered monologue.
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Costner gave his compliments to the live-action film’s most discussed scene while appearing alongside Ferrera herself to present the event’s award for Best Television Female Actor – Musical/Comedy Series (for those curious, the accolade was eventually given to actress Ayo Edebiri for her leading role as Sydney Adamu in FX’s ongoing The Bear).
After taking the stage together, Ferrera opened a prepared remark/skit by asserting to her co-host, “Kevin, first can I just say I’m such a fan of yours? Like, The Bodyguard, when you say good-bye to Rachel, and then she leaves and then she leaves, you run to each other, and then chills.”
Seemingly taken aback by her statement (it cannot be undersold, whether through terrible direction or genuine discomfort between the two actors, just how awkward this entire moment feels), the Man of Steel actor replied in turn, “Well, you know, you have a scene that I really love, I think a lot of people really love that scene.”
Asked by Ferrera “Really, which scene is that?”, Costner then affirmed, “the Barbie movie, you know, [the one] where [you talk about how] it’s literally impossible to be a woman.”
“You know, you’re so beautiful, you’re so smart and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough – that was pretty good,” he added, his statements met with exceptionally sparse laughs, the audience seemingly unsure of whether the two were being sincere or doing a bit.
RELATED: James Cameron Applauds Greta Gerwig For America Ferrera’s ‘Barbie’ Monologue: “You Basically Sum Up Thousands Of Years Of The Female Dilemma In One Minute”
Further blurring that line, Ferrera then playfully pressed, “Did you, Kevin Costner, memorize my monologue about womanhood from Barbie?”, to which he bluntly replied, “No.”
Taking note of the apparent failure of their exchange to land with the audience, the actor then elaborated, “But it’s an important message, really, and it always serves to remind me of what’s possible in a film.”
“It just reminds me that when we take our time when we manage to get it right, when a film is working at its very best, it can be about moments you never ever forget: a look, a touch, a kiss, a speech,” he concluded before proceeding to introduce the nominees. “You just had one of those moments.”
As noted above, Costner is not the first fan of Barbie, nor the first major Hollywood celebrity, to applaud Ferrera’s monologue.
Speaking to Gerwig herself as part of Variety’s Director on Director series, Cameron commended his fellow director on how, in the scene, she was able to “basically sum up thousands of years of the female dilemma in one minute.”
“I don’t think it’s ever been done as succinctly and hit the mark so perfectly,” he commended Gerwig.
Costner will make his on-screen return as John Dutton when Yellowstone returns for the second half of its final season in November 2024 via Paramount Network.
NEXT: America Ferrera Defends Her ‘Barbie’ Monologue: “There Are A Lot Of People Who Need Feminism 101”