Ryan Gosling may not have won an Oscar on Sunday
But he won THE OSCARS last Sunday
If you didn’t watch the presentation for the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, it would be fair if you thought it was Cillian Murphy’s night. But you’d be wrong. Cillian did win Best Actor, and his movie Oppenheimer did take home seven awards in total. An incredible feat!
But everyone who watched the Oscars on Sunday knows Ryan Gosling owned the night.
Let’s start with the obvious: Ryan’s much-anticipated performance of “I’m Just Ken”. It was hilarious and artful and captured the essence of Ken, as Gosling always does so well. It intelligently paid homage to Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and had an insanely cool cameo from Slash. Ryan’s athleticism and charm were on full display.
But Gosling still channeled Ken, the ever-supportive sidekick, by passing the mic to Barbie’s female stars: Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, and America Ferrera. Yes, during Ken’s big moment, Ryan Gosling didn’t forget about the women who collaborated with him while he figured out how to be just Ken. He even let his longtime friend and frequent co-star Emma Stone sing a line during his performance. I could feel the Kenergy.
And while “I’m Just Ken” didn’t win Best Song, it was the performance everyone has been talking about all week. Do you remember any of the other songs that were nominated? Because I don’t. But I’ll remember Ryan Gosling in that pink sequined suit forever.
Next, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt had by far the best presentation of anyone on Sunday when they announced the award for Best Stunt Performers. Gosling and Blunt attempted to squash the Barbenheimer rivalry but ended up hilariously smack-talking instead. (So on the nose, as Gosling and Blunt have an action romcom about a stuntman coming out soon!)
Lastly, Ryan brought his sister Mandi as his date. Seriously, how endearing. And his wife Eva Mendes gave him a public shoutout celebrating his hard work on bringing Ken to life and encouraging him to come home. So wholesome, I can’t even. What a guy, what great work, and there’s no better testament to being a great man than having a bunch of strong women willing to stand behind you.
And look, Barbie for better or worse, has been a politicized movie, which has been a turnoff for some people. So oddly, Barbie not winning any Oscars (except Best Song - “What Was I Made For?”) could end up working in its favor. Ryan Gosling may have lost the Best Supporting Actor trophy to Robert Downey, Jr. (Oppenheimer), but no one can call Ryan a loser. He won the hearts of so many people for his work in Barbie and then again for his performance at the Oscars on Sunday.
Yes, Oppenheimer is great. But it belongs to the Academy now. They painted it in gold and claimed it for the critics and pinkies-up cinephiles. Cillian Murphy will get his name painted on the wall and engraved on his statuette.
But Barbie is for the masses. Barbie is for the rest of us. And leading the charge, reminding us that Barbie is ours, is a man in a pink sequined suit, fully unaware of both how silly and how freaking good he looks. That man is Ryan Gosling.
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