The 96th Academy Awards ceremony took place on March 10, 2024, and was a star-studded affair. While most of the focus was on all the talented artists nominated in various categories, by the time the night concluded, it was clear that Ryan Gosling had once again proven to be the show stealer after doing so in 2023’s Barbie.
At the event, Gosling performed I’m Just Ken, a song from the Greta Gerwig-directed film, which left everyone at the ceremony grooving. However, Gosling’s performance had deeper layers as it was meant to be a tribute to actress Marilyn Monroe and presented a gender-bent version of an iconic song from one of her films. Here is everything you need to know about Ryan Gosling’s Marilyn Monroe tribute at the Oscars.
Ryan Gosling’s Oscars Performance Was a Tribute to Marilyn Monroe’s Iconic 1953 Film
At the Dolby Theatre, in Los Angeles, Ryan Gosling, who was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for his work in Barbie, took the stage to perform a song from the movie. Gosling sang I’m Just Ken, which has become a bit of an online sensation since the film’s release.
While Gosling’s performance was a crowdpleaser, it being a tribute to actress Marilyn Monroe’s iconic 1953 musical-comedy film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, made it even more memorable. During his performance, Gosling was suited in a pink outfit, reminiscent of Monroe’s famous look from the song Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.
Moreover, the styling of other dancers and overall staging of the choreography also loosely resembled Monroe’s song from the 71-year-old film. In an interview with Variety, Mandy Moore, who helped choreograph Gosling’s performance, revealed that it was the Blade Runner 2049 star’s idea to pay tribute to Marilyn Monroe.
“That’s where the pink suit and everybody else in black came from — and the stairs in the back. And we had an homage to the candelabra girls: We had Ken-delabra men.”
Moore made the above statement explaining how she worked with Gosling to tune the performance as a gender-bent version of Monroe’s popular number from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Moore also revealed that Gosling was very enthusiastic and involved in the planning for his Oscars performance.
Ryan Gosling’s Choreographer Reveals How the Actor Planned His Oscars Performance
During the aforementioned interview, Moore shed additional light on the planning and preparation behind Gosling’s Oscars performance. She said:
“He was pretty clear about his overall structure of it.”
In a separate interview with The New York Times, Moore spoke about the challenges of choreographing Gosling’s number to the style of the 1930s-40s musicals, while making a tribute to Marilyn Monroe.
“It is incredibly difficult to do, even in a film situation because you have to have really clear marks and you’ve got to practice it over and over. It’s militarylike.”
Moore made the above statement highlighting the underlying difficulty of pulling off a live performance at the Oscars. Ultimately, Gosling’s performance proved to be one of the standout moments of the night even if the actor did not personally win an award.
Barbie is streaming on Max.
