Ryan Gosling Surprises 'Barbie' Director Greta Gerwig With a Movie-Themed Flash Mob for Her Birthday

Ken certainly knows how to mark a special occasion.

On Friday, Barbie star Ryan Gosling surprised the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, with a movie-themed flash mob to celebrate her 40th birthday. The tribute was uploaded to the movie’s Instagram account. In the video, Gerwig is sitting in a Chelsea pilates studio after a workout. A group of male dancers stream into the room as “I’m Just Ken,” Gosling’s signature tune from the movie, plays. Gerwig laughs to herself and covers her face. “Oh my god,” she chuckles as more and more Kens appear.

As the routine segues into Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” Barbies enter from the doorway and emphatically greet the Kens. Together they recreate the choreography from the movie’s party scene. Gerwig appears enraptured, bopping along to the song at one point. “Happy birthday, Greta!” the dancers shout in unison at the end of the routine. The director wipes tears away from her face as she rises to hug the dancers.

“Greta, guess who planned this,” says the camera operator.

“I have no idea!” Gerwig laughs.

“Think of the bagpiper,” the other person responds.

“The bagpiper” is a reference to a similar prank Gosling pulled for the Barbies-only cast sleepover prior to filming. Since no Kens were invited, Gosling decided to send a different musician. “We opened the door and there’s a man in a full Scottish kilt who played the bagpipes for us,” Gerwig recalled to Access Hollywood. “Then he recited a full speech from Braveheart and said, ‘Ryan sends his love.’”

“I don’t even know how he located a bagpiper,” the director marveled. “But…it makes total sense. It’s exactly his sense of humor. He’s just the kind of person who can locate a bagpiper.”

Apparently, he’s also the kind of person who can locate a flash mob.