LOS ANGELES — On Sunday night at the Academy Awards, Ken was more than "Kenough."
During the delightfully raucous “I’m Just Ken” performance, Ryan Gosling proved yet again that he can do almost anything (drama, action, comedy, song and dance) without breaking a sweat.
It was a moment that was highly anticipated by “Barbie” fans and, well, practically everyone, and it did not disappoint.
Gosling, in shocking pink and sequins, began his performance in the audience, singing into the ears of co-star Margot Robbie, and then headed to the stage, where he joined Mark Ronson, executive producer of the “Barbie” soundtrack, and a gaggle of dancing Kens, including Simu Liu.
A surprise guest was Slash on guitar, but the best moment was when Gosling went down to the front row to sing with a delighted Greta Gerwig, Robbie, and America Ferrera, who sang with him: ”I’m just Ken and I’m enough, And I’m great at doing stuff!” Yes, he was great at doing stuff.
The “Barbie” blockbuster ballad “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell wound up winning the Academy Award for best original song over "I'm Just Ken," Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson’s “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony,” Diane Warren’s “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot” and Scott George’s “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon."
In doing so, Eilish, 22, has become the youngest person by far to have won two career Oscars. That beats a very old record set by Luise Rainer, who won her second best actress Oscar at 28 in 1938.