Ryan Gosling proved he’s the ultimate showman at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday.
The actor took the stage at Los Angeles’s Dolby Theatre to perform the Oscar-nominated infectious hit “I’m Just Ken” from billion-dollar film Barbie. Gosling was joined by the song’s writer and producer, Mark Ronson (who also put together the Barbie soundtrack), as well as legendary Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash (!) and fellow Kens Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir for the incredible performance. And the La La Land star easily stole the show, taking the stage in a hot-pink, crystal-encrusted Gucci suit with a crew of backup dancers while sing his heart out (with a little help from costars America Ferrera, Margot Robbie, and Greta Gerwig in the audience).
Gosling was also nominated for the Oscar for Actor in a Supporting Role, for his performance as Barbie’s boyfriend, but the award ended up going to Robert Downey Jr. for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. While Barbie has been celebrated (and critiqued) for its feminist read on the world’s most famous doll, Gosling very quickly became a fan favorite for his earnest, himbo-tastic portrayal of the plastic toy. Last month, he opened up to Variety—in his traditional aloof fashion—about preparing to take on the role of Ken.
“Eventually, I thought, ‘Who am I to argue with Greta Gerwig and Margot?’ They had a vision for it. They believed it. And they believed I should do it more than I believed I shouldn’t,” he said, explaining why he was eventually convinced to take the role. “At a certain point, I thought, They see something that I don’t see. I thought it was such a great part that anyone could play it. I understand now, but it took me a while.”
Gosling added: “I wanted to make sure if I was going to do it—I was like, ‘I can’t mess this up. I can’t be the guy that messed up the Barbie movie.’ So if I’m going to do it, I have to do more than I know that I’m even capable of.”
Bianca Betancourt is the culture editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers all things film, TV, music, and more. When she’s not writing, she loves impulsively baking a batch of cookies, re-listening to the same early-2000s pop playlist, and stalking Mariah Carey’s Twitter feed.