Ryan Gosling, the little liar, was prepping "I'm Just Ken" Oscars performance for "months"

This just goes to show: you can’t trust an actor! In January, and again in February, Ryan Gosling claimed he hadn’t even been asked to perform his blockbuster Barbie musical number “I’m Just Ken” at the 2024 Oscars. But the truth is, “we met with him on Zooms months ago, talking about that performance,” Molly McNearney, Oscars producer and wife of Jimmy Kimmel, told Variety. Gosling, the “true professional,” was just throwing everyone off the scent.

According to this Variety behind-the-scenes look at one of the most memorable moments from the 96th Oscars, the elaborate performance came from collaboration with the ceremony’s producers as well as director Greta Gerwig, music producer Mark Ronson, and choreographer Mandy Moore. But the creative direction apparently all came from Gosling, who came up with the “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” homage. From beginning in the audience, to which parts he’d like to sing with Gerwig, Margot Robbie, America Ferrera and Emma Stone, to placing a kiss on the cameraman’s hand, it all came from Ken’s Oscar-nominated brain.

“He was pretty clear about his overall structure of it,” told Variety. “He wanted to start in the audience, come up see Mark, see Andrew [Wyatt the co-producer], ignite the Ken-delabras and then join the 10 dejected Kens on the stairs,” she said. “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.”

Rehearsals for the performance began four weeks ago (during which time Gosling was lying about not being invited, natch). But certain elements didn’t come together until the last minute. The other Kens (Ncuti Gatwa, Simu Liu, Scott Evans, and Kingsley Ben-Adir) had just two days to learn the dance. “I flew in from London on Thursday, and hit that stage. Mandy Moore kept us going,” Gatwa told the outlet. And Slash didn’t fly in until day-of. But it all paid off in a show stopping number that, although the track didn’t take home the Best Original Song trophy, was pretty much beloved by all.

According to Moore, after it was over Gosling gave her “a huge hug” backstage, “And then he got all serious, and asked, ‘Were shots right? Did I do a good job?’ I’m like, ‘Yes! Oh, my God, are [you] kidding me? Did you hear those people? They were freaking out!’”