Greta Gerwig couldn’t have secured a more committed Ken than Ryan Gosling. The Notebook actor took up the challenging role in the female-centric Barbie film and impressed audiences not only with his acting skills but also with his singing and dancing skills. Interestingly, Gosling personally requested Gerwig to include Ken’s dance in the film to pay tribute to his first childhood gig.
Margot Robbie starred in and produced this phenomenal fantasy comedy, which joined the billion-dollar club with its box office collection. It emerged as the highest-grossing film of 2023 and is set to garner further acclaim and accolades in the upcoming awards season.
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Ryan Gosling Paid Tribute To His First Job Through His Ken Dance In Barbie
As Barbie gears up for the upcoming awards season, The Hollywood Reporter looks back at the making of the film. Greta Gerwig’s film, based on the eponymous fashion dolls, made some excellent choices, with one of them being the casting of Ryan Gosling as Ken. Gosling recalled that he was the one who proposed the idea of Ken dancing to Gerwig.
Interestingly, the Blade Runner 2049 actor’s first job was as a performer at weddings when he was just 8 years old. He shared the memory of singing and dancing for the bride during the garter ceremony. Gosling was initially embarrassed by his 8-year-old self but later realized those childhood performances shaped him into the actor he is today. It was these early gigs that eventually landed him his first role in The Mickey Mouse Club.
Gosling believed that he could retire the 8-year-old performer in him, but the Barbie script encouraged him to be “kinder” to his younger self. The Gray Man actor wanted to pay tribute to that kid in him through his Ken dance. Gosling shared with The Hollywood Reporter:
“That kid worked really hard to get me where I am today, and I thought I could let him retire. It’s funny, because for a long time I was embarrassed of him, but what moved me most about this script is how it kind of encourages you to be a little kinder to your younger self. I felt I owed that kid one last dance.”
Although Gosling was a member of the band Dead Man’s Bones, when composers Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt approached him to sing for the film, he wasn’t confident. Gosling felt that the number, I’m Just Ken, was out of his vocal range, but he eventually embraced his inner Ken to sing the number.
The song has been shortlisted for the Best Original Song category at the upcoming Oscars. It is also nominated for the Best Song Written for Visual Media at the upcoming Grammys.
Ryan Gosling Detailed His Childhood Gig With Steve Carell In 2010
In a 2010 interview with his Crazy, Stupid, Love co-star Steve Carell for the Interview Magazine, Ryan Gosling went into details about his ‘first job’. Gosling shared that at the age of 8, he and his 12-year-old sister performed together at weddings. He would sing When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge and then his sister would follow with Old Time Rock & Roll by Bob Seger. His wedding singer gig landed him a spot with his uncle’s Elvis impersonator act.
This experience became a stepping stone for his acting career when he auditioned for a role in The Mickey Mouse Club. Gosling shared with Carell that his first role was “disheartening” because he couldn’t match up to the other kids in the dance routine. However, when Gosling revealed his co-stars on the show, Carell understood why the actor struggled. Gosling remembered that three of his fellow performers were Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake.
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Ryan Gosling is currently nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Barbie at the Golden Globe Awards. Barbie is now available for streaming on Max.
