Even a month after its release, Barbie fever has gripped the internet – propelling its main stars to a new level of fame.
Ryan Gosling especially received resounding praise for his portrayal of ‘Ken’, with some even considering his performance a good contender for the Oscars.
If they don’t give Ryan Gosling the Oscar genuinely what are we even doing here https://t.co/vy4bXBlvqu
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) August 21, 2023
Gosling showed off his singing and dancing chops in Barbie with its musical centrepiece, “I’m Just Ken.” After the release of the film, “I’m Just Ken” became a viral phenomenon, dominating TikTok and landing Gosling his first appearance on the Billboard charts, debuting at No. 87. on the Hot 100, No. 4 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 5 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. The song nabbed 5.2 million U.S. streams in its first week. New behind-the-scenes footage of Gosling rehearsing the epic pop number alongside his Ken co-stars including Simu Liu and Ncuti Gatwa has now taken the internet by storm.
ryan gosling is one for the history bookspic.twitter.com/Sv5c58iZm2
— emma stone's manager (@emmarstones) August 21, 2023
The exclusive video which Atlantic Records posted on YouTube on Monday featured previously unreleased footage from the making of both the song and the scene in the film. Barbie’s soundtrack curator Mark Ronson could be seen on the set as Ryan and fellow Ken actors brought the show-stopping song to life.
In the four-minute featurette, Gosling goes through the various stages of rehearsal as he makes Gerwig burst out laughing and strips off his white fur coat. The video intercuts clips of Gosling practising his moves in sweatpants and a backwards hat in a dance studio with footage from the finished film. They lock in with choreographers and practice their movements over and over until it’s perfect, even if it is only for a couple of seconds’ worth of footage. Standing next to Gerwig, Gosling checks and double-checks the best ways to bring her vision to life.
Now that Barbie’s been out for long enough, I can finally say that Ryan Gosling deserves every award for delivering the line, “when I realised the patriarchy wasn’t about horses, I lost interest” with complete and utter seriousness 😂 pic.twitter.com/swXvFlbmDK
— Pearl Boshomane (@Pearloysias) August 21, 2023
The video also features footage of Gosling playing drums on the track, various Kens contributing backup vocals and Guns N’ Roses axeman Slash recording their guitar solo. In July, Ronson told Vanity Fair that the hit single came together as he thought about how ‘nobody gives a s*** about buying a Ken doll’.
Barely three weeks into its run, writer-director Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster raked in an astounding $1.03 billion at the global box office, according to official Warner Bros. estimates. This makes Gerwig the first solo female director with a billion-dollar movie.
