It was almost not Kenough.
Director Greta Gerwig revealed Sunday that she was forced to defend Ryan Gosling’s big “I’m Just Ken” musical number in the hit “Barbie” after studio execs questioned the necessity of the scene.
“It just said in the script, ‘And then it becomes a dream ballet and they work it out through dance,'” Gerwig, 40, said during the BFI London Film Festival, according to Variety.
The iconic scene comes at the film’s climax as the Kens — led by Gosling, 42, and Simu Liu, 34 — begin to fight each other on the beach before dancing it out.
According to Gerwig, she was hauled into “big meetings” where she was forced to defend her position.
The “Little Women” director recalled that she was asked by the execs: “Do you need this?”
“I was like, ‘Everything in me needs this,'” laughed Gerwig. “They were like, ‘What do you even mean? What is a dream ballet?’ And I was like, ‘A dream ballet? Where do I begin!'”
Gerwig noted that her dream ballet — a trope used to express a character’s inner turmoil through dance and music — was similar to the one featured in the Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds-led “Singin’ in the Rain” in 1952.
“I was like, ‘If people could follow that in ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ I think we’ll be fine. I think people will know what this is.'”
Despite feeling fantastic about the lives she created in plastic, Gerwig did mention that she was nervous about the scene failing.
“Even though everything felt right to me and was giving me so much joy in the way we were doing it,” she continued. “It was also like, ‘Oh no, this could be just terrible, but now I’m committed.'”
The Post reached out to the “Snow White” director and Gosling for comment.
Thankfully, the “Lady Bird” director’s fear was unfounded as the film skyrocketed to success, grossing over $1 billion in sales at the box office. One TikTok trend even had users attempting to stand like the Mattel doll that forced podiatrists to intervene.
Additionally, the summer blockbuster — which starred Margot Robbie as the title character — inspired several social media users to rethink the concept of aging.
During her Sunday appearance at the festival, Gerwig revealed that she would often sneak into screenings of the film to see the audience’s reaction.
“I went around to different theaters and sort of stood in the back, and would then also turn up the volume if I felt it wasn’t playing at the perfect level,” recounted Gerwig to The Hollywood Reporter.
The director also stated that making “Barbie” was “the most joyful” time she has ever had on a project.
“So, I thought, if I can make a movie that is half as fun to watch as it was to make, I think maybe we’ve got a shot,” she concluded.
