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In a new featurette for Barbie, director Greta Gerwig and music producer Mark Ronson, along with cast members Ryan Gosling, Ncuti Gatwa, and more, opened up about the making of “I’m Just Ken” from the film. The music producer revealed the song almost had a much smaller role in the film, and the cast and crew gave viewers an inside look at what went into making the hit song
What did the creators of ‘Barbie’ say about “I’m Just Ken”?
In the recent featurette ahead of the film’s release on streaming platforms. an array of other cast and crew members shared insight into the creation of the hit song ‘I’m Just Ken.’ The song portrays the climactic battle on Malibu Beach between Ken dolls, as they fight for love and acceptance. Mark Ronson revealed that the song initially had a comparatively smaller role in the film, but it was adapted into the epic battle sequence as the song took center stage.
Ronson explains that when director Greta Gerwig asked him to come up with a song for Ken, he “instantly knew” what it was going to be. Once he presented the initial version, Gerwig ended up asking for more. “[She’s] like, ‘We love that song — actually, can you make it longer?’” said the music producer explained. “So we’re essentially scoring 11 minutes just around the Ken song.”
‘Barbie’: “I’m Just Ken” & The Battle Scene
In the three-minute video, the writer-director also said that the beach-off sequence was inspired by The Nutcracker, which she admired as a child. “The battle between the toy soldiers and the rats, the absurdity of it, that is something I was thinking about when we were creating this battle,” said Greta.
Gosling and Gatwa, who play two distinct Kens in the successful film, also explained how those fighting in the long scene near the conclusion of the film don’t completely grasp what they’re doing and how their notions of what fights are or how they work are pretty limited. “They have zero information about what war is,” Gosling noted. “It’s like the telephone game from the real world. It’s been distorted by the time it gets back to them, and they’re just kind of doing their best, but it’s really the worst.”
