By Hamish McNeilly of 
Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in the film, can be seen holding a copy of Man & Horse, The Long Ride Across America by John Egenes. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
A retired Kiwi academic was stunned to find out his book had popped-up in the hit film Barbie.
Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in the film, can be seen holding a copy of Man & Horse, The Long Ride Across America by John Egenes.
In the movie, Ken stumbles upon a copy of the book when he enters a high school library in the Real World. It becomes part of a whole masculine montage of "man and horse" - a very funny theme in the film.
The book's 73-year-old author, who lives in Port Chalmers, was yet to see the film but his friends and family, including his wife who is currently in America, had contacted him about the unexpected cameo.
''I was like 'what?!'.''
Screenshots show Gosling holding the book on set. The Ken actor also confirmed his interest in the book during a press interview alongside lead actress, Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie.
''It is me on my horse, it is pretty unmistakable,'' Egenes said.
The interview between the co-stars revealed Robbie had given Gosling the book as a present, and she tells him ''the book made it into the movie''.
''Which book?'' he asks.
''The horse book,'' she replies.
''I want to make that book into a movie,'' Gosling said.
Egenes said he was ''gobsmacked'' by the interview.
''He seems to like the book a lot... it is nice to hear.''
Egenes, who hails from New Mexico in the US, wrote the book years after the original journey, finally publishing it in 2017.
It was a memoir of his 1974 journey on his horse, Gizmo, from California to Virginia, with that seven months' ride taking the pair across 11 states.
While he wouldn't have been surprised if his book ended-up in some sort of western film, Barbie was a surprise.
''The world is full of serendipity, and it certainly has in my life.''
But despite Gosling's keenness, Egenes wasn't getting too excited about a possible film offer, however admitted his San Francisco based agent's ''eyes were dilating''.
There had been renewed interest in the book, which was available as an e-book and in print.
The memoir had sold well over the years, and ''while I'm not a J.K Rowling... it has its own audience.''
The book wasn't Egenes' only brush with fame. He was a former saddle maker back in the US, and had built-up a good reputation in his craft.
That led him to making the odd belt for movie stars, guitar straps for Bruce Springsteen and a leather bustier for supermodel Naomi Campbell.
''One day I'm a saddle maker and the next I'm in New York City working with Donna Karan.''
Asked if he would watch Barbie he said he would, but ''I'm not rushing out to do so, to see one second of my book''.
''It is fun, but I take it with a grain of salt.''
A couple of years ago he had retired from working as a senior lecturer in music at the University of Otago, but was keeping himself busy on his various projects at his Port Chalmers' home.
Egenes was currently completing a fiction book, as well as a music project of big band/swing - ''I just love that kind of music, so I'm doing an album of it''.
He had lived in the country for a couple of decades, and was a proud New Zealand citizen happily living in Port Chalmers, about a 20-minute drive from Dunedin.
''I just love it out here. It is one of those places you don't set out to go there, you just end-up there.''
This story was first published on Stuff
