Current:Home > reviewsRyan Gosling joined by Slash for epic, star-studded 'I'm Just Ken' Oscars performance -AssetLink
Ryan Gosling joined by Slash for epic, star-studded 'I'm Just Ken' Oscars performance
View
Date:2025-04-16 02:39:59
Ryan Gosling just proved he truly is "great at doing stuff."
The actor, 43, on Sunday delivered an epic live performance of the song "I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie" at the Academy Awards, and he wasn't alone. Dressed in a bright pink suit, Gosling was joined on stage by a large group of dancers wearing cowboy hats, as well of several actors who played Kens in Greta Gerwig's film, including Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Ncuti Gatwa.
Gosling began the performance seated in the audience behind a visibly amused Margot Robbie before he progressed to the stage and joined the dancers on a set of bright pink stairs. The dancers carried Gosling around surrounded by cardboard cutouts of a Barbie doll before another special guest joined in: Slash on the guitar.
Gosling eventually returned to the audience, and screens in the auditorium encouraged guests to sing along by displaying the song's lyrics. Gerwig, America Ferrera and Robbie joined him, as did Gosling's "La La Land" co-star Emma Stone.
"I'm Just Ken" was one of two "Barbie" tracks nominated for best original song at the Academy Awards, with the other being Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?" In the film, "I'm Just Ken" is a musical number performed in the third act after all of the Kens go to war against one another, a distraction planned by the Barbies, only to end up dancing side by side. Eilish's song ultimately won the original song Oscar shortly after Gosling's performance.
Although every nominee for best original song is traditionally performed live at the Oscars, there had initially been uncertainty about whether Gosling himself would be on stage for "I'm Just Ken." After all, he did not perform "City of Stars" when his "La La Land" song was nominated in 2017, with John Legend doing so instead.
Eilish also performed her "Barbie" song live at Sunday's Oscars. Her brother, Finneas, accompanied her on the piano.
Mark Ronson, co-writer of "I'm JustKen," recently revealed that the beloved song was almost cut from the final film.
"I thought, 'God, I hope we don't ruin it,'" he told The Sunday Times in an interview published Sunday. "At that first screening the song wasn’t working. I panicked. The humor wasn’t translating, and Greta (Gerwig) had to fight. The studio asked her how much she really needed it and she said, ‘With every inch of my body.’ And then there was a big swing."
Is Ryan Gosling a singer?
The "I'm Just Ken" number at the Oscars wasn't Gosling's first experience with live musical performances. The actor has also performed with Zach Shields in the rock duo Dead Man's Bones, which released its first album in 2009. Prior to singing in the Oscar-nominated musical "La La Land" or in "Blue Valentine," Gosling got his start on "The Mickey Mouse Club."
veryGood! (5)
Related
- How breaking emerged from battles in the burning Bronx to the Paris Olympics stage
- Kim Kardashian and Engaged Couple Chris Appleton and Lukas Gage Have Fun Night at Usher Concert
- You'll Want to Circle Back on TikTok Star Corporate Natalie's Advice Before Your Next Performance Review
- TikToker Jake Octopusslover8 Shane Shares How Amassing Millions of Followers Impacted His Mental Health
- A steeplechase record at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then a proposal. (He said yes.)
- A skinny robot documents the forces eroding a massive Antarctic glacier
- Let them eat... turnips? Tomato shortage in UK has politicians looking for answers
- Apple 48-Hour Flash Deal: Save $481 on a MacBook Air Laptop Bundle
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- There are plenty of doomsday climate stories — 'Extrapolations' is about the everyday
Ranking
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Shannen Doherty Files for Divorce From Kurt Iswarienko After 11 Years
- You'll Want to Circle Back on TikTok Star Corporate Natalie's Advice Before Your Next Performance Review
- Here’s What Scott Disick Did During Ex Sofia Richie’s Wedding Weekend With Elliot Grainge
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- One way to lower California's flood risk? Give rivers space
- California's flooding reveals we're still building cities for the climate of the past
- This Off-Shoulder Maxi Dress With Hundreds of 5-Star Amazon Reviews Is the Perfect Summer Vacation Look
Recommendation
The 'Rebel Ridge' trailer is here: Get an exclusive first look at Netflix movie
From 4chan to international politics, a bug-eating conspiracy theory goes mainstream
Mother's Day Deals: 10 Home Finds From Wayfair's Amazing Way Day Sale That Mom Will Love
Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Inside Halsey and Alev Aydin's Co-Parenting Relationship After Breakup
Greta Thunberg's 'The Climate Book' urges world to keep climate justice out front
What — And Who — Is To Blame For Extreme Heat?