It’s fair to say Canadian actor Ryan Gosling absolutely nailed his role in Greta Gerwig’s 2023 “Barbie” movie — and it turns out he’d showcased his readiness for it over three decades ago.
Gosling, 45, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting actor for his performance as Barbie’s boyfriend Ken in the film. However, he disappointingly lost out to Robert Downey Jr. for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”
But Gosling had given an arguably more award-worthy performance in the early 1990s in a Canadian talent show — and it was a performance that screamed “Ken.”
Ryan Gosling Danced on a Canadian ‘Star Search’ Show
At roughly 12 years old, Ryan Gosling appeared on a Canadian “star search” talent show performing an elaborate dance to a house remix of Cathy Dennis’ iconic pop track “Touch Me (All Night Long).”
In the video, which is readily available on the likes of Instagram, a young and highly energetic Gosling can be seen performing a choreographed dance routine with an all-girl troupe called “Elite Dance Studio.”
While wearing a shiny pinky-purple shirt and equally shiny silver “MC Hammer” pants, Gosling gives the routine his all. He nails every move, and showcases an incredible stage presence that later transferred to the big screen in his role as a leading man in Hollywood.
Gosling has since revealed he won the competition — and he defeated a pair of troublesome tapdancing twins to do so.
Gosling Shimmied His Way to a ‘Tiny’ Trophy
GettyIn an interview on British television chat vehicle “The Graham Norton Show,” Ryan Gosling revealed exactly what happened on that day.
Gosling told Norton (and fellow guests Emma Stone, Sienna Miller, and Ben Affleck) about his main competition on the day.
Gosling said, “My main competition were these two twins who were tap dancers and they were dancing to Phil Collins’ ‘Two Hearts.’ They had big heart-shaped bows [in their hair], and they were the ones to beat… I remember wishing them luck and going on stage.”
He continued, explaining that the twins weren’t so graceful as he was getting ready to begin his epic dance number.
“I look offstage, and the two twins are standing there, like the twins from ‘The Shining,’ and they’re just going like this [giving a middle finger]. And I was like, ‘Okay, this means war.’ So I just shimmied myself to that trophy… that tiny, little trophy.”
It’s fair to say Gosling’s performance was worthy of any trophy, let alone a tiny one on a random Canadian star search show in the early 1990s.
Gosling’s skills served him well, as he not only had to dance in garish outfits as Ken in “Barbie,” he also had to do a lot of dancing in 2016’s “La La Land.” On that occasion, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, but sadly lost out to Casey Affleck for his performance as Lee Chandler in “Manchester by the Sea.”
It just goes to show, if you exhibit talent at a young age, there’s every chance it’ll serve you well later in life. Here’s hoping Ryan Gosling gets to put his awesome dancing skills on show in many more movies in the future.
