PREVIEW

Eva Mendes has defended Ryan Gosling's performance in Barbie. The actress took to Instagram on Wednesday to show her support for her longtime partner, who was nominated for an Oscar on Tuesday for his performance in Barbie. ”So proud of my man," Eva, 49, wrote. "So much hate when he took on this role. So many people trying to shame him for doing it.” The Ghost Rider star continued, "Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious, heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to (the) Oscars.” In the post, Eva shared screenshots of articles questioning whether The Notebook star, 43, was the right choice to play Ken in Greta Gerwig's live-action Barbie movie. Eva’s statement comes amid controversy following Ryan's Oscar nomination for his performance in the film. The Canadian star was nominated for Best Supporting Actor while America Ferrera was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. However, fans were surprised when Greta, who co-wrote and directed the film, was not nominated for Best Director. Additionally, Margot Robbie, who played the titular character, was not nominated for Best Actress. Shortly after the nominations were announced, Ryan released a statement expressing his disappointment that Greta and Margot had not been nominated for their roles in the making of the record-breaking film. Ryan and Eva have been together since 2011. They share two daughters, Esmeralda, nine, and Amada, seven. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT