Ryan Gosling, the little liar, was prepping “I’m Just Ken” Oscars performance for “months”
Ryan Gosling told the press he hadn't been asked to perform at the Oscars, all while secretly preparing the night's biggest moment
Aux News Ryan Gosling
This just goes to show: you can’t trust an actor! In January, and again in February, Ryan Gosling claimed he hadn’t even been asked to perform his blockbuster Barbie musical number “I’m Just Ken” at the 2024 Oscars. But the truth is, “we met with him on Zooms months ago, talking about that performance,” Molly McNearney, Oscars producer and wife of Jimmy Kimmel, told Variety. Gosling, the “true professional,” was just throwing everyone off the scent.
According to this Variety behind-the-scenes look at one of the most memorable moments from the 96th Oscars, the elaborate performance came from collaboration with the ceremony’s producers as well as director Greta Gerwig, music producer Mark Ronson, and choreographer Mandy Moore. But the creative direction apparently all came from Gosling, who came up with the “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” homage. From beginning in the audience, to which parts he’d like to sing with Gerwig, Margot Robbie, America Ferrera and Emma Stone, to placing a kiss on the cameraman’s hand, it all came from Ken’s Oscar-nominated brain.
“He was pretty clear about his overall structure of it,” told Variety. “He wanted to start in the audience, come up see Mark, see Andrew [Wyatt the co-producer], ignite the Ken-delabras and then join the 10 dejected Kens on the stairs,” she said. “From there he wanted the rest of the number to evolve as if Kens were coming from everywhere, ‘Calling All Kens.’ Eventually ending in a huge celebration revealing Slash.”
Rehearsals for the performance began four weeks ago (during which time Gosling was lying about not being invited, natch). But certain elements didn’t come together until the last minute. The other Kens (Ncuti Gatwa, Simu Liu, Scott Evans, and Kingsley Ben-Adir) had just two days to learn the dance. “I flew in from London on Thursday, and hit that stage. Mandy Moore kept us going,” Gatwa told the outlet. And Slash didn’t fly in until day-of. But it all paid off in a show stopping number that, although the track didn’t take home the Best Original Song trophy, was pretty much beloved by all.
According to Moore, after it was over Gosling gave her “a huge hug” backstage, “And then he got all serious, and asked, ‘Were shots right? Did I do a good job?’ I’m like, ‘Yes! Oh, my God, are [you] kidding me? Did you hear those people? They were freaking out!’”
25 Comments
Damn, I thought that was all ad libbed. Knowing that they actually practiced makes it a lot less impressive.
“You are unbearably naïve.”
I mean I thought it was a bit unlikely that everyone showed up dressed for it but Stranger Things has happened. Four seasons worth, in fact.
Shit, we’re all wearing the same sash? How embarrassing. Might as well make the best of it….
“Hey I know the Oscars are a 50 million dollar production but I was thinking we’d just sort of ad lib it, y’know?” – Ryan Gosling – Murry Chang
“Honest Abe would have balanced out his quotation marks.” – SAMO1415
Ahh but this is ‘the big buck of this lick!’ Lincoln, he gives no shits for balanced quotation marks.
it’s even less impressive when you realize he learned the song for the movie already!
Seriously?
Someone’s going to be getting a strongly worded letter!
This performance was so memorable. I think it will be talked about for years. It was so fun to watch. Great job to all the Kens involved!
It was pretty incredible, and I’m guessing it’ll start a trend, so I fully expect a big number with kickline from the cast of Twisters at next year’s Oscars.
They’ll twist again, like we did last summer.
“choreographer Mandy Moore”Wait what?
Instagram handle @nopenother (yup, her, not her).
Ohhhhh of course.
Yeah, from This is Us Kens.
Molly McNearney, Oscars producer and wife of Jimmy KimmelNepo-spouse discourse when?
Not that one. I got confused too, my wife likes Dancing With The Stars and she’s announced as the choreographer of a ton of stuff on there. Turns out it’s a whole different lady
Apparently she was already working for him when they started dating, so show-biz-has-different-HR-policies-than-most-of-corporate-America discourse might be more germane.
How dare you call Ryan Gosling a little liar. At 6′, he’s a bit larger than average.
He’s an actor. It’s his job to lie.
Is it just me or did I notice that while others were making physical contact with Gosling, Simu Liu was pretty decidedly not? I couldn’t help but think of that awkward moment where Liu put his arm around Gosling’s waist at some premiere or something and Gosling was kinda like, “Uh, no.”
I love the shots of Greta losing her mind 😀
And Slash!