Mark Ronson reveals Ryan Gosling's 'I'm Just Ken' was almost cut from 'Barbie': 'Greta had to fight'

Ryan Gosling's performance of “I'm Just Ken” was arguably the most impressive moment from the 2024 Oscars, but according to Mark Ronson, it almost never happened.

In an interview with The Sunday Times Ahead of the Academy Awards on Sunday (March 10), the executive producer of its soundtrack Barbie revealed that the over-the-top, satirical ballad almost didn't make the final cut of Greta Gerwig's 2023 blockbuster, let alone the Oscar lineup.

“At that first screening the song wasn't working,” Ronson, who co-wrote “I'm Just Ken” with Andrew Wyatt, told the publication. “I panicked. The humor didn't translate.”

“Greta had to fight,” he continued. “The studio asked her how badly she needed it and she said, 'With every inch of my body.' And then there was a big swing.”

In the film, Gosling crows about his “blonde fragility” across multiple sets and costumes, backed up by dozens of fellow Kens who also feel misunderstood in Barbie Land. Joined by Ronson, Guns N' Roses' Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen, the actor translated the series into a spectacular stage performance at the 2024 Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday night to celebrate his best original song nod. (The award went to someone else Barbie song, “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas)

Shortly after BarbieOn its theatrical release in July, “I'm Just Ken” peaked at No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Gosling his first chart-topper on the chart. In January, the tune won Best Original Song at the Critic's Choice Awards.

“Ken is ridiculous,” Ronson added in the post. “But Greta's point was that no one should ever laugh at a character. We feel their pain, as crazy as it sounds, for a guy wearing a white mink and two pairs of sunglasses. I never wanted to write a song for a cheap laugh. You want something to get under people's skin.”