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While the world continues to watch Ryan Gosling’s Oscars performance of I’m Just Ken on repeat, it has been revealed just how heavily the Barbie star was involved in it.
Despite the Canadian actor’s much-memed bemused reaction to the song winning a Critics Choice Award last month, there were high hopes that he would perform it live at the Oscars.
Choreographer Mandy Moore, who helped Gosling deliver ‘Kenergy’ in an all-singing, all-dancing and all-pink extravaganza, has revealed not only was Gosling totally up for it, he had a huge hand in the overall vision.
This included the idea to make the performance a tribute to Marilyn Monroe’s performance of song Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend from 1953 musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Speaking to Variety, Moore, who has also worked with Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour, said: “He was pretty clear about his overall structure of it. He wanted to start in the audience, come up see Mark Ronson, see Andrew [Wyatt the co-producer], ignite the Ken-delabras and then join the 10 dejected Kens on the stairs.
Ryan Gosling intended his performance of I’m Just Ken to be and homage to Marilyn Monroe’s Gentlemen Prefer BlondesAFP via Getty Images“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.”
She went on to explain how he had also been “really important” for him to involve Barbie director Greta Gerwig and co-stars Margot Robbie and America Ferrera in the performance. Everything was planned, right down to Gosling’s long-time friend and La La Land co-star Emma Stone joining the singalong to Gosling kissing the cameraman’s hand.
“We practiced that,” said Ms Moore. “[Gosling] was very sweet. He goes: ‘Can we just make sure that Sean the steady is okay if I kiss his hand?'”