Current:Home > MyRyan Gosling joined by Slash for epic, star-studded 'I'm Just Ken' Oscars performance -AssetTrainer
Ryan Gosling joined by Slash for epic, star-studded 'I'm Just Ken' Oscars performance
View
Date:2025-04-18 03:08:27
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! (56)
Related
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Breanna Stewart sets WNBA single-season scoring record, Liberty edge Wings
- Minnesota political reporter Gene Lahammer dies at 90
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expected to meet with Putin
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Suspect on the loose after brutally beating, sexually assaulting university student
- Prosecutors in all 50 states urge Congress to strengthen tools to fight AI child sexual abuse images
- Four men die in crash of pickup trucks on rural Michigan road, police say
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Utah special election primary offers glimpse into Republican voters’ thoughts on Trump indictments
Ranking
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Alabama man convicted of sexually torturing, robbing victims he met online
- The 30 Most-Loved Fall Favorites From Amazon With Thousands of 5-Star Reviews: Clothes, Decor, and More
- $1,500 reward offered after headless antelope found in Arizona: This is the act of a poacher
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Danelo Cavalcante press conference livestream: Police share update on escaped Pennsylvania prisoner
- Congress returns to try to stave off a government shutdown while GOP weighs impeachment inquiry
- Saudi Arabia and Russia move to extend oil cuts could drive up gas prices
Recommendation
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
A Georgia redistricting trial begins with a clash over what federal law requires for Black voters
Minnesota political reporter Gene Lahammer dies at 90
Stock market today: Asian shares fall back amid selling of China property shares
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Why Whoopi Goldberg Missed The View's Season 27 Premiere
Missing Colorado climber found dead in Glacier National Park
'Holly' review: Stephen King's ace detective takes a star role in freaky thriller