Ryan Gosling isn’t just Ken anymore.
The Oscar nominee was up for Best Supporting Actor for his turn in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” and also belted his “I’m Just Ken” ballad onstage during the 2024 Academy Awards.
Gosling, who moonlights as the Dead Man’s Bones frontman, rocked out to the Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt-penned song which became one of the many breakout anthems of the history-making blockbuster movie. Guitarist Slash from Guns N Roses accompanied Gosling for the live performance of the beloved “Barbie” track, along with fellow Ken “Barbie” actors Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, and more, for a “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”-inspired musical moment.
Fellow “Barbie” song “What Was I Made For?,” written by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas, was also performed during the ceremony. “What Was I Made For?” went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Other Best Song nominees included Diane Warren’s “The Fire Inside,” co-performed by Becky G, from “Flamin’ Hot,” Jon Batiste’s “It Never Went Away” from his documentary “American Symphony,” and Scott George’s “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Gosling singing “I’m Just Ken,” though, had a certain amount of anticipation swirling ahead of the 2024 Oscars, which took place Sunday, March 10. Watch Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” performance below.
A teaser for the annual awards ceremony saw host Jimmy Kimmel try to navigate an escape from Barbieland to reach the Dolby Theatre AKA Oscarsland. Oscar-nominated “Barbie” actors Gosling and America Ferrera, joined by fellow ensemble cast members Kate McKinnon and Helen Mirren, help Kimmel find his way to the ceremony.
Gosling tapped into his Mickey Mouse Club roots for the singing and dancing required to take on his “hardest” role to date as Ken. “This is the hardest part I’ll ever play. How do you approach playing a 70-year-old crotchless doll?” Gosling rhetorically asked in a W magazine interview. “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.”
In addition to Gosling’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod and his Best Song performance, “Barbie” was in the running for Best Adapted Screenplay for director Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Best Supporting Actress for Ferrera, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Picture.
Gosling previously spoke out on the perceived snubs for Gerwig in the Best Director category and Margot Robbie in the Best Actress category.
“I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought I’d be saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken,” Gosling said. “But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film. No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.”
