Sorry, film fans, but we might not be getting any Kenergy at the upcoming Oscars, as Ryan Gosling revealed he hasn’t been asked to perform yet.
The 43-year-old stole our hearts with his role as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie last year, starring opposite Margot Robbie, America Ferrera, Simu Liu and Will Ferrell.
He proved that he was Kenough when he was nominated for the best supporting actor trophy at next month’s Academy Awards, as well as earning a nod for his track, I’m Just Ken.
Traditionally, all nominees in the best original song category perform during the ceremony, with fans living for the idea that Ryan could don his fur coat one last time for the show.
However, in a new interview with Variety, he poured ice cold water on the speculation.
‘I still have not been asked,’ he said. ‘It might be too much of a risk to have me do it. I don’t know how that would work. But I’m open to it.’
Refusing to be drawn on what we could expect from Ken taking the stage, he simply teased that they would ‘need a budget’ to make it as epic as possible.
We need to make this happen.
Ryan originally turned down the role, citing scheduling conflicts and ‘life things’, but Greta and Margot had their hearts set on him joining the fold, and never looked in another direction.
After showing off his range in Drive, La La Land, The Notebook and The Place Beyond The Pines, he eventually signed up, but confessed that it is the ‘hardest role’ he has ever taken on.
‘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,”’ he continued. ‘So, if I’m going to do it, I have to do more than I know that I’m even capable of.
‘In some way, everything I’ve done led to it. And I can’t believe I’m saying that. There were moments when I would do it where I’d think, “I haven’t felt like I’ve worked this hard since Blue Valentine.
‘There were moments when I left Blue Valentine just completely emotionally spent, laying on the floor of the car on the ride home just done – empty. And it was even harder to play Ken. And I thought, “How am I feeling that on this film?”’
2024 Oscar nominations in full
Best actor
Bradley Cooper - Maestro
Colman Domingo - Rustin
Paul Giamatti - The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright - American Fiction
Best actress
Annette Bening - Nyad
Lily Gladstone - Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller - Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan - Maestro
Emma Stone - Poor Things
Best supporting actress
Emily Blunt - Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks - The Color Purple
America Ferrera - Barbie
Jodie Foster - Nyad
Da'Vine Joy Randolph - The Holdovers
Best supporting actor
Sterling K Brown - American Fiction
Robert De Niro - Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. - Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling - Barbie
Mark Ruffalo - Poor Things
Best director
Anatomy of a Fall Justine Triet
Killers of the Flower Moon Martin Scorsese
Oppenheimer Christopher Nolan
Poor Things Yorgos Lanthimos
The Zone of Interest Jonathan Glazer
Best picture
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Best adapted screenplay
American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Best original screenplay
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives
Best cinematography
El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best film editing
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best international feature film
Io Capitano - Italy
Perfect Days - Japan
Society of the Snow - Spain
The Teachers' Lounge - Germany
The Zone of Interest - United Kingdom
Best production design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best make-up and hairstyling
Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow
Best costume design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best original song
Flamin’ Hot - The Fire Inside
Barbie - I'm Just Ken
American Symphony - It Never Went Away
Killers of the Flower Moon - Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)
Barbie - What Was I Made For?
Best original score
American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best animated feature
The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best animated short film
Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Best live action short film
The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Best documentary feature film
Bobi Wine: The People's President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol
Best documentary short film
The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó
Best sound
The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest
Best visual effects
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
‘So many times, I would come home and say, “What am I doing?”’ he said of his ‘overthinking’ tendencies, revealing that partner Eva Mendes’ words of wisdom helped spur him along.
She would tell him to ‘just make it about Barbie’, with Ryan adding: ‘And so every take became an opportunity to get Barbie to notice me.’
Eva proved that she was his biggest supporter at the end of last month, when she supported his Oscar nominations on social media, while also calling out those who had slated his performance.
‘So proud of my man. So much hate when he took on this role. So many people trying to shame him for doing it,’ she shared on Instagram.
‘Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious, heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to Oscars.
‘So beyond proud to be this Ken’s Barbie.’
Truly couple goals.
Metro.co.uk has contacted the Oscars for a comment.
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