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I desperately need to see Ryan Gosling perform “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars, and I think a lot of people are in the same hot pink boat as me. Luckily, it seems highly likely that the power ballad from the billion-dollar blockbuster Barbie as well as the Ken who sings it will get nominated. However, now the question is: Will the lead Ken of the Barbie cast actually perform it? Well, Gosling finally weighed in on the subject, and instead of giving a real answer, he raised some very valid questions.
What Ryan Gosling Said About Performing At The Oscars
Traditionally, if you get nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars, it gets performed live during the ceremony. However, Ryan Gosling isn’t sure if he’ll perform his track from the highly reviewed Barbie, and as of now, according to him, he hasn’t been invited (however, nominations haven’t come out yet). While speaking about the potential to belt “I’m Just Ken” in front of Hollywood’s finest with W Magazine, the Ken actor said:
Well, I haven’t been invited, Lynn, thanks for pointing that out. And I wasn’t thinking about it until now, and now it’s all I’m going to think about. Do you get paid for that? What do you get paid to sing at the Oscars? They pick you up at least, right? Do you have to self-drive? Still thinking about it.
OK, Mr. Gosling, if answering these questions will help convince you to sing at the Oscars, I’ll do my best to answer them.
Do Oscar Performers Get Paid?
First, let’s talk about pay. According to a report done by THR in 2013, those who sing during the ceremony do get paid. The outlet explained that during that year, performers like Adele and Norah Jones received at least $3,500 to perform their tracks. Meanwhile, union rates for solo performers start at around $2,400 and group rates begin at $5,000.
Obviously, this report came out a decade ago, so those numbers might have changed. However, it does confirm that if Ryan Gosling performed “I’m Just Ken,” he’d get paid for it.
However, the report also stated that the host’s fee is between $15,000 and $25,000. Last year, Jimmy Kimmel confirmed on his show in 2022 that he was paid $15,000 to host the ceremony. So, the performer rate may be still somewhere between $2,400 and $5,000.
Would The Academy Provide Ryan Gosling A Ride To The Ceremony?
The answer to this one is a bit unclear. According to a 2010 Vanity Fair article, between 800 and 1,000 vehicles are driven to the ceremony in a given year. Rod Rave, who was the executive vice president of global operations for Empire CLS Limousine at the time, told the outlet that he works with “regular clients” to find the best-fit vehicle for them — this seems to imply he worked with individual atendees not necessarily the awards show.
The THR article that broke down how much the ceremony costs, also did not mention a budget for transportation or chauffeurs.
In other words, it would seem that those attending the Academy Awards have to find their own means of transportation. Honestly, I don’t think that’s a bad thing for Ryan Gosling though, because I’d much rather see him roll up in a Barbie pink convertible with his cast mates instead of a standard car.
What Are The Odds Ryan Gosling Will Perform At The Oscars?
Truly, Ryan Gosling raises some very valid questions, and now I need him to answer the equally valid question W Magazine asked. Will he perform at the Oscars?
When “City of Stars” was nominated for La La Land, he notably didn’t perform it live, John Legend did. So, will someone else perform “I’m Just Ken?” I sure hope not, and based on the fact that Gosling released three new remixes of Ken’s song, I feel like he might be down to sing his Barbie song on stage.
So, while we know the answers to most of the questions Gosling posed when asked about “I’m Just Ken,” we’ll have to wait and find out if he’s performing the tune at the ceremony.
It seems highly likely that the Ken actor will go up against Robert Downey Jr. in the Best Supporting Actor race, as they’re both frontrunners. Plus, multiple tracks from Barbie have been picking up song nominations on the awards circuit, including Ken’s power ballad. Therefore, it seems inevitable that the Oscar-nominated actor would perform live. Or at least I hope that’s the case.
As we impatiently wait to see if dreams come true and Ryan Gosling sings “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars, you can see him perform it in Barbie with a Max subscription.