Barbie may not have been a musical, but the “I’m Just Ken” song number was a major standout of the film. This was the part when Ryan Gosling’s Ken pours his heart out in song for his unrequited affection towards Barbie. If you can believe it, this memorable musical sequence wasn’t even initially in the script.
Based on the behind-the-scenes footage and rehearsals of “I’m Just Ken,” a lot really went into this musical scene. That’s why it’s shocking for Insider to reveal that audiences were almost without this song-and-dance sequence. A new featurette was released by Vudu that revealed Ryan Gosling’s song was just supposed to play in the background. Barbie’s music producer Mark Ronson wrote a short version of the pop ballad after being asked by director Greta Gerwig. But when the Oscar-nominated director heard this song, Ronson said she had another request for him.
“Greta’s like, ‘We love that song but actually could you make that longer?’ So we’re essentially scoring eleven minutes just around the Ken song.”
Not only was “I’m Just Ken” a longer song, but a full-on dance sequence thanks to Ryan Gosling. According to Vanity Fair, the Canadian actor heard this ballad and insisted that he sing it in the movie. Gerwig fulfilled Gosling’s wishes and rewrote a scene for the film’s climax that evolved into an epic dance arrangement.
Greta Gerwig’s Inspiration for the ‘I’m Just Ken’ Sequence
The legendary beach battle between all of the Kens, according to the featurette, came from Greta Gerwig’s love of 1950s musicals.
“I’ve always loved dream ballets. Like, in the middle of something that is happening, all of a sudden it is a dream ballet,” said the Ladybird director. “They do it in Oklahoma! — it’s an incredible dream ballet. They do it in Singin’ in the Rain. We had one day to get the Ken dream ballet, but we got it and it was really triumphant. And everybody felt good because, honestly, what’s more fun than dancing?”
No wonder the musical scene reminded me of “Greased Lightin'” from Grease! It definitely showed off a lot of male bravado moves from the film’s actors. Based on the behind-the-scenes video, it looked like all of the actors had a lot of fun shooting this scene. Gerwig looked like she couldn’t hold her own laughter watching her actors. Even the crew seemed entertained throwing tennis balls at the actors! With “I’m Just Ken” being an unforgettable scene for audiences and listened to over 3 million times on YouTube, having its own scene in Barbie was the right decision.
