Ryan Gosling Hasn’t Gotten an Invite to Perform ‘I’m Just Ken’ at Oscars
Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” ballad stole the show in Barbie, but it is too soon to know whether he’ll perform it at the Academy Awards later this year.
“Well, I haven’t been invited. And I wasn’t thinking about it until now, and now it’s all I’m going to think about,” Gosling, 43, told W magazine in a profile published on Wednesday, January 3, when asked whether an invitation has already been extended. “Do you get paid to sing at the Oscars? Do you have to drive yourself? What kind of scratch is involved? They pick you up at least, right?”
The magazine quickly followed up by asking Gosling about his musical interests, namely regarding his karaoke picks.
“I don’t have one. I only sing at the Oscars. … Oh, no, wait, I don’t,” he quipped, noting Ken would definitely pick James Ingram’s “Just Once” for a round of karaoke.
The Barbie movie is fast approaching — but titular star Margot Robbie didn’t know if it would ever come to fruition. “I was very scared it was going to be a no. At the time this was such a terrifying thing to take on. People were like, You’re going to do what?” Robbie told Vogue in […]
Gosling starred as Stereotypical Ken in 2023’s Barbie, which was directed and cowritten by Greta Gerwig. The La La Land actor, whose “I’m Just Ken” musical soliloquy topped the charts upon the movie’s release, was nominated for best supporting actor at the 2024 Golden Globes. (The Globes will air live on Sunday, January 7.)
Gosling was one of many Kens in Barbie, perfectly embodying the role with his delivery of the line, “My job is beach.” In Wednesday’s profile, he detailed his first impression of taking on the role.
“It was the title page of the script, which said ‘Barbie and Ken,’ but ‘and Ken’ was scratched out,” Gosling quipped. “And the next impression was, this is the hardest part I’ll ever play. How do you approach playing a 70-year-old crotchless doll? There’s no research you can do for that. There’s no one you can shadow, no documentaries you can watch, no books written about Ken. You’re on your own.”
Ryan Gosling has come a long way since his days as a Mouseketeer on Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club with Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera. As he celebrates his 34th birthday, take a look at how he went from boyishly charming child star to one of Hollywood's hottest leading men.
Gosling starred opposite Margot Robbie, who played the titular doll and is also up for a Golden Globe trophy on Sunday. In his W Q&A, Gosling detailed their first Barbie scene together.
“[It was] the boat [scene] when Barbie and Ken travel to the real world. I brought a prop seagull to set,” he excitedly added. “I asked somebody to puppeteer it in the shot, and I didn’t tell Margot. Ninety percent of the actors I’ve worked with would go [very sarcastically], ‘You brought a seagull. Great.’ But Margot was open to the seagull puppetry.”
In addition to starring as Barbie, the 33-year-old actress produced the film alongside her husband, Tom Ackerley.
Fans will find out whether Barbie scored any Oscar nominations on Tuesday, January 23. The awards show will occur in March.
