Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling (/ˈɡɒslɪŋ/ GOSS-ling;[1] born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in both independent films and major studio features, his films have grossed over $2 billion worldwide. Gosling has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for three Academy Awards and two British Academy Film Awards.
Ryan Gosling
Gosling rose to prominence aged 13 on Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1995), and went on to appear in other family entertainment programs, including Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1995) and Goosebumps (1996). His breakthrough role was that of a Jewish neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001), and he gained stardom in the 2004 romantic drama The Notebook. He starred in the critically acclaimed independent dramas Half Nelson (2006), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor; Lars and the Real Girl (2007), and Blue Valentine (2010).
In 2011, Gosling had three mainstream successes in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, the political drama The Ides of March, and the action thriller Drive. After making his directorial debut with Lost River (2014), he starred in the financial satire The Big Short (2015), the action comedy The Nice Guys (2016), and the romantic musical La La Land (2016), the latter won him a Golden Globe and a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Further acclaim followed with the science fiction film Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and the biopic First Man (2018). In 2023, he played Ken in the fantasy comedy Barbie, which emerged as his highest-grossing release and earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Gosling's band, Dead Man's Bones, released their self-titled debut album and toured North America in 2009. He is a co-owner of Tagine, a Moroccan restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. He is a supporter of PETA, Invisible Children, and the Enough Project and has traveled to Chad, Uganda and eastern Congo to raise awareness about conflicts in the regions. He has been involved in peace promotion efforts in Africa for over a decade. He is in a relationship with actress Eva Mendes, with whom he has two daughters.
Early life and education
Ryan Thomas Gosling was born on November 12, 1980, at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario,[2] the son of Thomas Ray Gosling, a travelling salesman for a paper mill,[3] and Donna, a secretary.[4][5] Both of his parents are of part French Canadian descent, along with some German, English, Scottish, and Irish.[6][7] He and his family were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[8] and Gosling has said that the religion influenced every aspect of their lives.[9] Because of his father's work, they "moved around a lot"[3] and Gosling lived in both Cornwall, Ontario[10] and Burlington, Ontario.[11] His parents divorced when he was 13,[12] and he and his older sister Mandi lived with their mother,[4] an experience Gosling has credited with programming him "to think like a girl".[13]
Gosling was educated at Gladstone Public School,[14] Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School and Lester B. Pearson High School.[15] As a child, he watched Dick Tracy and was inspired to become an actor.[16] He "hated" being a child,[9][17] was bullied in elementary school,[18] and had no friends until he was "14 or 15".[19][20] In grade one, having been heavily influenced by the action film First Blood, he took steak knives to school and threw them at other children during recess. This incident led to a suspension.[17] He was unable to read,[21] and was evaluated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but was not diagnosed with it and, contrary to false reports, never took medication.[22] His mother left her job and home-schooled him for a year.[23] He has said homeschooling gave him "a sense of autonomy that I've never really lost".[9] Gosling performed in front of audiences from an early age, encouraged by his sister being a performer.[24] He and his sister sang together at weddings; he performed with Elvis Perry, his uncle's Elvis Presley tribute act,[25] and was involved with a local ballet company.[26] Performing boosted his self-confidence as it was the only thing for which he received praise.[20] He developed an idiosyncratic accent because, as a child, he thought having a Canadian accent did not sound "tough". He began to model his accent on that of Marlon Brando.[27] Gosling dropped out of high school at age 17 to focus on his acting career.[28]
Acting career
1993–1999: Child actor
In 1993, 12-year-old Gosling attended an open audition in Montreal for a revival of the Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club.[24] He was given a two-year contract as a mouseketeer and moved to Orlando, Florida.[28] He appeared on-screen infrequently because other children were considered more talented.[29] Nonetheless, he has described the job as the greatest two years of his life.[28] Fellow cast members included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake. Gosling has credited the experience with instilling in him "this great sense of focus."[30] He became particularly close friends with Timberlake and they lived together for six months during the second year of the show. Timberlake's mother became Gosling's legal guardian after his mother returned to Canada for work reasons.[31] Gosling has said that even though he and Timberlake talk infrequently, they are still supportive of each other.[30]
Following the show's cancellation in 1995, Gosling returned to Canada, where he continued to appear in family entertainment television series, including Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1995)[32] and Goosebumps (1996),[32] and starred in Breaker High (1997–98) as Sean Hanlon.[32] At age eighteen, he moved to New Zealand to film the Fox Kids adventure series Young Hercules (1998–1999) as the title character.[32] He later said that he initially enjoyed working on the series, but began to care too much about the show, so it was no longer fun for him. He wanted to spend more time sitting with and devising a character as well as play a variety of roles, so he chose to transition into film and not accept any more television work.[28]
2000–2003: Independent films
Aged 19, Gosling decided to move into "serious acting". He was dropped by his agent and initially found it difficult to secure work because of the "stigma" attached to children's television.[33] After a supporting role in the football drama Remember the Titans, he secured a lead role as a young Jewish neo-Nazi in 2001's The Believer. Director Henry Bean said he cast Gosling because his Mormon upbringing helped him understand the isolation of Judaism.[34] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times praised an "electrifying and terrifyingly convincing" performance[35] while Todd McCarthy of Variety felt his "dynamite performance" could "scarcely have been better".[36] The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival[37] and Gosling has described it as "the film that kind of gift-wrapped for me the career that I have now."[25] Because of the controversial nature of the film, it was difficult to secure financial backing for a full theatrical release,[38] and the film was instead broadcast on Showtime.[38] The film was a commercial failure, grossing $416,925 worldwide from a production budget of $1.5 million.[39]
In 2002, Gosling co-starred in the psychological thriller Murder by Numbers with Sandra Bullock and Michael Pitt,[40] where Gosling and Pitt portrayed a pair of high school seniors who believe they can commit the perfect murder. Bullock played the detective tasked with investigating the crime. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly described him as "a phenomenal talent even in junk like this"[41] while Todd McCarthy felt that the "strong and "charismatic" young actors were "let down by the screenplay".[42] The film was a minor commercial success, grossing $56 million worldwide from a production budget of $50 million.[43] His second screen appearance of 2002 was in The Slaughter Rule with David Morse which explores the relationship between a high school football player and his troubled coach in rural Montana. Gosling has said that the opportunity to work with Morse made him "a better actor".[44] Stephen Holden of The New York Times described Gosling as "major star material" with a "rawness and an intensity that recall the young Matt Dillon"[45] while Manohla Dargis of the Los Angeles Times was won over by his "raw talent".[46] The film was released in just three US theatres and grossed $13,411.[47]
In 2003, Gosling starred in The United States of Leland as a teenager imprisoned for the murder of a disabled boy. He was drawn to the role because it was unusual to find a character that was "emotionally disconnected for the whole film."[48] Critic Roger Ebert felt that the "gifted actor does everything that can be done with Leland, but the character comes from a writer's conceits, not from life."[49] A. O. Scott of The New York Times noted that he "struggles to rescue Leland from the clutches of cliché"[50] while David Rooney of Variety felt that his "one-note, blankly disturbed act has none of the magnetic edge of his breakthrough work in The Believer".[51] The film grossed $343,847 in the United States and was not released overseas.[52]
2004–2009: The Notebook and Half Nelson
Gosling gained mainstream attention in 2004 after starring opposite fellow Canadian Rachel McAdams in the romantic drama film The Notebook, a film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name, directed by Nick Cassavetes.[53] Gosling played Noah Calhoun and commented on the role: "It gave me an opportunity to play a character over a period of time – from 1940 to 1946 – that was quite profound and formative."[54] He sought to imbue his character with "quiet strength" and was inspired by Sam Shepard's performance in Days of Heaven. Shepard co-starred in The Notebook.[55] Filming took place in Charleston, South Carolina, in late 2002 and early 2003.[56] Although Gosling and McAdams became romantically involved in 2005, they had a combative relationship on the set.[57][58] "We inspired the worst in each other," Gosling has said. "It was a strange experience, making a love story and not getting along with your co-star in any way."[9]
At one point, Gosling asked Cassavetes to "bring somebody else in for my off-camera shot" because he felt McAdams was uncooperative.[58] The New York Times praised the "spontaneous and combustible" performances of the two leads and noted that, "against your better judgment, you root for the pair to beat the odds against them."[59] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post praised Gosling's "beguiling unaffectedness" and noted that "it's hard not to like these two or begrudge them a great love together".[60] The film grossed over $115 million worldwide.[61] Gosling won four Teen Choice Awards[62] and an MTV Movie Award.[63] Entertainment Weekly has said that the movie contains the All-Time Best Movie Kiss[64] while the Los Angeles Times has included a scene from the film in a list of the 50 Classic Movie Kisses.[65] The Notebook has appeared on many Most Romantic Movies lists.[66][67][68][69]