Ryan Gosling Laments Being ‘Always No. 2’ in ‘Barbie’ Song ‘I’m Just Ken’: Watch
Written by djfrosty on July 10, 2023
He’s just Ken, and he has a song to share with the world. In the latest preview for the highly anticipated Barbie movie, Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling belts out his character’s de facto theme song, “I’m Just Ken.”
In the Great Gerwig-helmed film, Gosling plays Ken to Margot Robbie’s Barbie, as the two dolls grapple with the existential adventures of the real world. “I’m just Ken/ Anywhere else, I’d be a 10/ Is it my destiny to live and die / a life of blond fragility,” Gosling croons, lamenting about how he’s “always No. 2.” The new song soundtracks a teaser in which a legion of Kens, including some portrayed by Simu Liu and Ncuti Gatwa, follow Gosling’s Ken as he performs the power ballad.
“I’m Just Ken” is just the latest example of how music is an intrinsic part of the upcoming Barbie film. Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” which has thus far peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, soundtracks a massive dance party scene, and the film’s soundtrack has already spawned a top 10 hit on the Hot 100 with Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and AQUA’s “Barbie World.”
Executive produced by Mark Ronson, Barbie The Album is also set to feature songs from Lizzo, Fifty Fifty, Kaliii, Ava Max, Haim, Tame Impala, The Kid Laroi, Khalid, Gayle and more. On Thursday (July 6), Oscar and Grammy winner Billie Eilish revealed that she was one of the surprise artists on the soundtrack. Co-written with her older brother and go-to collaborator FINNEAS, her contribution to the album is titled “What Was I Made For?“
Barbie is not the first time Gosling has blended music and acting. In the early ’90s, the Barbie star was a child actor on Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Club alongside fellow child performers Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. In 2017, he earned his second career Academy Award nomination for best actor in a leading role for his acclaimed performance in Damien Chazelle’s movie musical La La Land.
Watch Gosling sing “I’m Just Ken” above.