Ryan Gosling ensured getting actor-partner Eva Mendes and their daughters’ stamp of approval ahead of his I’m Just Ken performance at the 2024 Oscars.

The Barbie star told an international publication that he used long-term partner Mendes and their daughters Esmeralda Amada, nine, and Amada Lee, seven, as a sounding board before hitting the stage. “It was great,” the actor, 43, told the outlet recently. “It was so fun because they came to the dress rehearsal the day before and so they were in the front row. They gave me some tips and some notes, all great notes. They are such a huge part of this for me…it was my girl’s interest in Barbie and disinterest in Ken that got me into this in the first place,” he added. “It was beautiful to have them there at the end.” While it’s unclear exactly what the girls told him, their advice paid off as Gosling brought the house down with his epic performance of the Oscar-nominated song.