The Barbie cast reunited at the 2024 Oscars for a very special performance of “I’m Just Ken.”
Actor Ryan Gosling reprised his role as the iconic male Mattel doll at Sunday’s Oscars to perform the evening’s now iconic song, which was nominated for Best Original Song.
Joining him on stage were 65 singing and dancing Kens, including original Ken actors Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa and Scott Evans.
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Gosling also enlisted the help of film director Great Gerwig and Barbie herself – actress Margot Robbie – to perform the singing parts, which he sought out from the audience during the performance.
Actress America Ferrera, who plays Mattel employee Gloria in the film, also sang along, and Gosling’s former co-star and two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone also joined in the fun.
Gosling looked perfect on stage, dressed in a pink rhinestone-encrusted suit and Ken’s signature black sunglasses. He was supported for the live performance by song producer Mark Ronson and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash.
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On the red carpet before the ceremony began, producers hinted that this would be the first and only time Gosling would perform the song live – it was advertised as “one of the biggest production numbers in Academy Awards history.”
The song was one of two nominated for Best Original Song at this year’s Oscars, alongside “What Was I Made For?”, written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. The latter took home the award, the brother-sister duo’s second Oscar, having already won the same honor in 2022 for “No Time To Die.”
“I’m Just Ken” has taken on a life of its own as a viral meme since the release of Barbie and was even parodied by Pete Davidson on Saturday Night Live last year.
There had been some confusion about whether Gosling would actually sing at the Oscars, as he said in January he had not been approached.
“Well, I wasn’t invited,” he said at the time. “And I hadn’t thought about it until now, and now it’s all I’ll think about. Do you get paid to sing at the Oscars? Do you have to drive yourself? What kind of hassle is involved? They at least pick you up, right?”
It was only a few weeks later that Oscar producers confirmed that Gosling would indeed perform alongside the other nominees for Best Original Song.
The 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, were broadcast from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, with Live coverage on all ITV channels in the UK and ABC in the USA.
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