Does Ryan Gosling Actually Sing in ‘Barbie’? A Look at His Impressive Musical Career
He's more than Kenough.
Ahead of the 2024 Oscars on Sunday, March 10, Ryan Gosling, who received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as “Beach” Ken in Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster Barbie movie, is back in the spotlight.
The Canadian actor was applauded for bringing the Kenergy in the 2023 film, whether Ken was facing off against the other Kens in a highly-choreographed dance number, modeling cowboy-inspired ‘fits at his revamped Mojo Dojo Casa House, or gazing into Barbie’s (Margot Robbie) eyes while soulfully singing a never-ending rendition of Matchbox Twenty’s “Push” on the beach. In addition, Gosling’s catchy anthem about being Kenough, “I’m Just Ken,” has had a busy awards season with Grammys, Golden Globes, and Oscars nominations.
Robbie can be heard singing along to the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine” while driving to the real world and then coming back to Barbie Land with Gloria (America Ferrera), but viewers were surprised to learn Gosling actually had more of a musical presence in the film than his co-star.
Does Ryan Gosling Actually Sing in Barbie?
Yes, that’s Gosling’s voice you’re hearing during “Push” as well as “I’m Just Ken.” The Blade Runner 2049 actor is actually credited on the Barbie soundtrack for the Academy Award-nominated “I’m just Ken,” so you know it’s legit. He also performed a version of “Boys Just Wanna Have Fun” during a scene that was cut from the final Barbie movie, but is available in an extended version.
In an interview with Rolling Stone on July 25, Gerwig admitted that it wasn’t originally the plan to have The Notebook alum sing during the movie, but it happened “organically,” and the rest is history.
“I think if I had said, ‘I want you to sing and dance in this movie,’ he would not have necessarily done that for me. But it was kind of that thing of boiling a lobster,” she told the publication. “I think by the time he was singing and dancing, he didn’t even totally know how we had gotten there. But he’s so fabulous at it.”
In fact, the Barbie soundtrack’s executive producer Mark Ronson, who wrote the song, says that Gosling actually ended up volunteering to sing it. “He really got [that] it had to walk this line of not being funny or parody,” he told Vanity Fair in a July 11 interview. “But obviously, the song is also kind of ridiculous at times. So he was really amazing, and when he really did start hitting the big notes, I was like, ‘This dude is a vocal powerhouse.’”
A Brief History of Ryan Gosling’s (Super Impressive) Singing Career
When Ronson flew Gosling to London to record “I’m Just Ken,” he wasn’t worried that the Barbie actor wouldn’t be able to perform. Gosling already had decades of music experience under his belt starting as a child star. He was on the Mickey Mouse Club, which boasts musical alums like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera, for its final two seasons.
Little known fact: the 43-year-old actor has also landed on the charts before, thanks to his song “City of Stars” from the 2016 musical La La Land. A duet version of the song he performed with his co-star Emma Stone reached No. 8 on Billboard's Hot 100’s Bubbling Under ranking, and the song took home a Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 2017. So getting a song nominated by the Academy is nothing new for the star.
Will Ryan Gosling Perform “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars?
On Feb. 28, the Academy confirmed that Gosling will be performing “I’m Just Ken” with Ronson at the Oscars, along with fellow Best Music (Original Song) nominees. Viewers will have to wait until the March 10 awards show to see if additional Kens like Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir make an appearance for an epic Ken-off (complete with suction-cup arrows and lacrosse sticks), but there will be plenty of Barbie musical magic. The Academy also confirmed that Billie Eilish will be singing “What Was I Made For?” along with her brother Finneas O’Connell at the ceremony.
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