Ryan Gosling's 'I'm Just Ken' Oscars Performance Brought Down The House
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AFTER RYAN GOSLING graced movie theater screens last summer as Ken in the massive blockbuster that was Barbie, there were instantly questions if his brilliant portrayal of the bleach blonde beach-loving bad boy would be in the running for any Oscars in 2024. Thankfully, the answer turned out to be, as Ken himself would put it, “Sublime!”—as he earned a well-deserved nomination for Best Supporting Actor. But that wouldn't be his sole impact on the film industry's biggest night.
A few weeks back, the slate of Oscars performances was confirmed, with Billie Eilish set to perform her “What Was I Made For?” ballad alongside her brother Finneas, Scott George and the Osage Singers doing “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon, Jon Batiste ("It Never Went Away" from American Symphony), and Becky G performing "The Fire Inside" (from Flamin' Hot).
After conflicting reports surfaced as to whether Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” song from the film would be included with a performance of its own, he was finally confirmed to be reprising his role for one more night.
"I wasn't thinking about it until now, and now it's all I'm going to think about," Gosling told W Magazine, as he joked that if he was compensated for his performance, he would be more up for it. “Do you get paid for that? What do you get paid to sing at the Oscars?” He also pointed out that if not, he would settle for a ride to the show at least—rather than having to drive himself. Because that would lover his Ken-ergy levels.
Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" performance was a show-stopping highlight of the 2024 Oscars
Barbie was the biggest film of 2023 at the box office, and while Billie Eilish graced the Oscar stage earlier in the show with an intimate performance of her song "What Was I Made For?" (which later won the Best Original Song award), it was Gosling's performance of "I'm Just Ken," originated from the memorable dream ballet sequence within the film, that really reflected on the movie's major scale and ambition.
Gosling took the stage with solid vocals, major stage presence, and backed by some incredible production, as he was joined on stage not only with trained backup dancers, but also choreography from some of his costars and fellow Barbie Kens, including Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, and Scott Evans.
He also put his rock star stage presence on display, starting the performance in the audience before taking the stage while singing, and eventually returning to some notable members of the audience, including Barbie director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie, and his frequent costar (and, later in the show Best Actress winner) Emma Stone.
You can watch Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" performance, which instantly becomes one of the most memorable in Oscar history, just below.
The "I'm Just Ken" performance had previously been majorly hyped
The 96th Oscars provided a great moment for those who adored Ryan Gosling’s commitment to the dream ballet dance sequence of “I’m Just Ken” in Barbie.
During an interview with Deadline, one of the Oscars’s Executive Producers, Raj Kapoor, gave somewhat of an idea of what the performance would entail. The article’s author, Pete Hammond, mentioned that he'd been told by sources that Gosling will be joined by 65 male backup dancers. This wasn't confirmed until the performance actually took place—but Kapoor and the awards show team did not deny it.
“It’s going to be a very big performance,” Kapoor shared. “You’ll see that. It is in rehearsal. I was down there yesterday, and there’s a lot of fun to be had when you watch this number, but yeah, I think we’re going big. I’ll say that. We’re going big.”
Is Ryan Gosling Actually Singing In “I’m Just Ken?”
Yes, it is Gosling’s real voice on “I’m Just Ken,” proving he's a talented both as an actor and as a musician. The song itself was written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, who oversaw the Barbie soundtrack.
Several alternate versions of the track were released last December as part of Ken The EP, which featured “I’m Just Ken (Merry Kristmas Barbie),” “I’m Just Ken (In My Feelings Acoustic)” and “I’m Just Ken (Purple Disco Machine Remix)”—providing a mood for every type of Barbie lover.
Gosling also is the one singing in the film's cover of Matchbox Twenty’s “Push,” as he sings it to Margot Robbie’s Barbie alongside all the other Ken dolls singing to the other Barbies. He is hilariously playing guitar around a campfire too, thinking it will wind up wining her over.
Some might not know that Gosling was actually part of a musical duo called Dead Man’s Bones with his real-life friend Zach Shields. The two released an album in 2009—proving he can also play the piano, electric bass, and possibly even more instruments. Gosling’s background knowledge of piano playing helped him in 2016’s La La Land also.
“I had to play the whole theme of the movie on the piano in one take without messing up,” he previously told Jimmy Kimmel.
Was Ryan Gosling Nominated For An Oscar For “I’m Just Ken?”
Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” song was nominated for Best Original Song at this year’s Oscars. However, it ultimately lost the award to another song from Barbie, "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish.
In total, Barbie was up for eight Oscars at this year’s ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Gosling), Best Supporting Actress (America Ferrera), Best Adapted Screenplay (Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach), and more, but Eilish's win for Best Original Song was the only one that the film ultimately came away with.
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