Ryan Gosling, from Mouseketeer to Ken. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at Ryan Gosling’s evolution from child star, to dramatic actor, to Ken.
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00:00 What's your move? What's your big move?
00:01 I got lots of moves.
00:02 What's your big move?
00:03 I'm not talking about big moves.
00:04 Tell me your move!
00:06 You're not ready for the big move.
00:07 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at Ryan Gosling's evolution
00:11 from child star to dramatic actor to Ken.
00:14 [Music]
00:21 Part 1. Can't wait to grow up.
00:25 Born in Ontario, Canada at the dawn of the 80s,
00:28 Ryan Gosling spent much of his youth on the road due to his father's job as a traveling salesman.
00:34 Even as a kid, we never really had a house. We always lived in apartments or, you know,
00:39 we were always moving.
00:41 With his family's lives revolving around the Mormon church,
00:44 Gosling wasn't allowed to watch films unaffiliated with the Bible.
00:48 He nonetheless managed to see Dick Tracy, one of his earliest acting influences.
00:53 Who set me up, huh?
00:55 I don't know.
00:56 Talk, you cockroach.
00:59 He also saw First Blood, which inspired the friendless Gosling to throw steak knives at
01:04 the other school children, resulting in suspension.
01:07 Things weren't much better at home as his parents' marriage crumbled,
01:12 although TV provided an escape.
01:15 Seeing Raquel Welch dance with a giant spider on The Muppet Show,
01:18 Gosling was no longer content watching TV.
01:22 He wanted to be on it.
01:23 Oh, please, watch him!
01:26 Demonstrating his knack for song and dance in talent shows,
01:30 a 12-year-old Gosling was cast in a reboot of The Mickey Mouse Club.
01:34 He performed alongside fellow rising stars Britney Spears,
01:38 Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake.
01:41 I don't know what I know, but I cry, yeah.
01:49 Gosling developed a close friendship with the latter, stealing a golf cart together.
01:54 Timberlake's mother also took temporary custody of Gosling,
01:58 as his parents divorced and his mother had to remain in Canada for work reasons.
02:02 Well, that's good and all, but I think you guys need to make it a little more exciting.
02:06 He eventually reunited with his mother, who stepped back from the church while
02:10 allowing her son to choose his spiritual path.
02:13 Gosling was raised alongside his sister Mandy, calling her his best friend and hero growing up.
02:19 The child actor otherwise had few friends until his early teens,
02:23 calling himself a lonely child.
02:26 Don't go running and tell him what you see,
02:28 because all Boxer is, don't need them ladies fussing over it.
02:32 As much as he loved being a Mouseketeer, Gosling felt his co-stars were more gifted.
02:37 That didn't stop him from finding work.
02:40 Gosling is among the few actors to appear in episodes of both
02:43 Are You Afraid of the Dark and Goosebumps.
02:46 That was close.
02:47 That was too close.
02:48 I'm never, never doing anything like that again.
02:52 By 17, Gosling had dropped out of high school to pursue acting full-time,
02:57 starring in the teen dramedy Breaker High and playing the lead in Young Hercules.
03:02 Unsatisfied portraying one character for an extended period,
03:06 Gosling branched out to feature films.
03:08 This is another one of those UFO landing sites?
03:10 I'll kill you.
03:12 It's better.
03:15 Following the little scene Frankenstein and Me,
03:18 Gosling hit the silver screen running as football player Alan Bosley
03:22 in Disney's Remember the Titans.
03:24 Although this supporting role showcased his potential as a dramatic actor,
03:28 Gosling sought to distance himself from his former child stardom,
03:32 taking on darker parts.
03:34 This one, I don't even have to ask, but I will.
03:38 What do you think of this one?
03:39 Part 2. A Serious Actor
03:41 Since Gosling hated being a kid,
03:44 it makes sense why he'd be eager to tackle adult characters.
03:49 The Believer marked Gosling's first film as a lead,
03:52 playing a neo-Nazi from a Jewish upbringing.
03:55 We have nothing to learn from these people.
03:56 You should be learning from us.
03:59 And what should we learn from you, Daniel?
04:02 Kill your enemy.
04:09 While Gosling shared little in common with this hate-filled protagonist,
04:13 both had complicated relationships with their religious backgrounds,
04:17 helping to shape his layered performance.
04:20 The film was a Sundance favorite,
04:22 while Gosling's transformative work echoed Edward Norton in American History X.
04:27 And God said to Avril,
04:28 "Take yourself away from your land,
04:31 away from the place you were born,
04:33 away from your father's house,
04:34 and go to a new land."
04:37 After starring in The Slaughter Rule,
04:39 The United States of Leland,
04:41 and Murder by Numbers,
04:42 briefly dating co-star Sandra Bullock,
04:44 he rose to mainstream recognition as Noah Calhoun in the sleeper hit The Notebook.
04:50 This tearjerker was even more in the zeitgeist,
04:53 thanks to Gosling's off-screen relationship with co-star Rachel McAdams.
04:58 Would you just stay with me?
04:59 Stay with you?
05:00 What for? Look at us, we're already fighting.
05:03 Well, that's what we do.
05:04 We fight.
05:06 Just as Noah and Allie get off on the wrong foot,
05:09 Gosling recalls him and McAdams bringing out the worst in each other on set.
05:13 Yet, it wasn't long until they were a real-life item,
05:17 accepting the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss with another iconic smooch.
05:22 It was my pleasure.
05:23 When Gosling's next film, Stay, bombed at the box office,
05:31 he revisited the indie scene as Dan Dunn in Half Nelson.
05:35 Gosling played a teacher trying to keep a sharp young student away from the drug world.
05:40 We are sinners, but we can strive to be good.
05:43 Just not in nature itself, I guess.
05:47 Considering that Dunn himself has a substance issue,
05:50 he's not exactly a role model, but he still feels responsible for his students.
05:55 Earning comparison to a young Marlon Brando,
05:58 Gosling won the Indie Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.
06:02 I've been trying to make a movie like this for a long time and
06:05 I really appreciate you letting me be a part of it.
06:08 I'm really proud to be a part of it. Thank you.
06:10 Given the film's minuscule budget and release,
06:12 some wondered if Half Nelson would be on the Academy's radar.
06:16 In something of a pleasant surprise,
06:18 Gosling received his first Best Actor Oscar nomination,
06:22 still being among the category's 10 youngest nominees.
06:26 What's the key piece of career advice you got
06:29 that helped you to stand here as an Oscar-nominated actor?
06:32 Oh man, I think my mother always told me,
06:34 "If you're making a decision for the money, you're making the wrong decision."
06:38 He worked with the category's oldest winner, Anthony Hopkins,
06:41 in the legal thriller Fracture,
06:43 but Lars and the Real Girls showcased a completely different side of Gosling.
06:48 Channeling Jimmy Stewart and Harvey,
06:50 Gosling unleashed his inner goofiness as a man who falls in love with a real doll.
06:55 At the same time, Gosling infused the character with quiet sadness and sincerity,
07:00 making us care about Lars and his "real girl."
07:04 Gosling was the real deal,
07:06 although his career slowed down before shining brighter than ever.
07:10 "I was hoping the winter was over."
07:11 "No, it's just a thought. Winter isn't over till Easter."
07:17 Part 3. You Never Shined So Brightly
07:20 Gosling was set to play a grieving father in The Lovely Bones.
07:25 Despite gaining 60 pounds for the role,
07:27 Gosling was unfortunately fired and replaced with Mark Wahlberg
07:31 because he never discussed his physical transformation
07:34 with director Peter Jackson prior to filming.
07:37 "I just showed up on set and I had gotten it wrong, clearly.
07:40 And then I was fat and unemployed."
07:44 Gosling took a three-year hiatus from acting.
07:47 During this time, his romantic relationship with McAdams officially ended.
07:52 Gosling remained in the public eye while the infamous "Hey Girl" meme
07:56 set the internet ablaze and brandished his musical talents
08:00 as one half of the rock duo Dead Man's Bones.
08:03 Returning to the screen, Gosling rounded out 2010
08:14 playing a thinly veiled version of Robert Durst in All Good Things
08:18 and Dean Pereira in Blue Valentine.
08:20 The latter contained possibly Gosling's most heartbreaking performance
08:25 as we see Dean dissolve from an optimistic fool in love
08:28 to a shell who can't preserve his marriage.
08:31 Although co-star Michelle Williams scored a Best Actress nomination,
08:47 Gosling's absence from the Best Actor lineup was considered a major Oscar snub.
08:52 Gosling said he was actually relieved not to be nominated,
08:56 meaning his work on the campaign trail was done.
08:58 He continued to exhibit his range, playing a lovable womanizer in Crazy Stupid Love,
09:14 a stoic driver in Drive, and a Shakespearean campaign manager in The Ides of March,
09:20 all within one year.
09:21 While only in the first act of The Place Beyond the Pines,
09:25 this would be among Gosling's most important projects,
09:28 marking the beginning of his romantic partnership with co-star Eva Mendes.
09:32 Following roles in Gangster Squad and Only God Forgives,
09:44 and a producing credit for White Shadow,
09:46 Gosling made his directorial debut with 2014's Lost River.
09:51 I just started shooting by myself over the course of a year with the camera and
09:55 collecting images and then eventually like the actors came on board and we got a little money
10:00 and we had a crew and we were making the movie.
10:02 That same year, Gosling and Mendes welcomed their first of two daughters.
10:07 Becoming a father compelled Gosling to accept fewer dark roles.
10:11 Between comedies like The Big Short and The Nice Guys, he hosted SNL for the first time.
10:17 I was smiling and weeping. Tears of joy, sir.
10:21 Alright, well now this missed me a little bit.
10:23 In 2016, Gosling reunited with co-star Emma Stone for the third time in La La Land,
10:29 a modern musical in the nostalgic spirit of Fred and Ginger.
10:33 Gosling learned to tap dance and play piano as Sebastian Wilder,
10:38 his second Oscar-nominated role.
10:40 I don't care if I know just where I will go
10:45 'Cause all that I need's that crazy feeling of your head tapped out of my heart.
10:52 Although he didn't win, Gosling got to go on stage when La La Land won Best Picture,
10:57 for a few minutes.
10:59 The notorious mix-up gave us many memeable moments,
11:02 but nothing tops the image of Gosling giggling as the audience watched in horror.
11:07 The way everyone was talking amongst themselves, it felt like someone had
11:11 had a heart attack or worse and it felt like someone was in danger
11:16 and then it turned out that they just read the wrong name.
11:19 This photo sums up Gosling in a nutshell.
11:22 He takes his work seriously, but isn't afraid to laugh at himself or the industry.
11:27 After revisiting his silent yet strong side in Blade Runner 2049,
11:32 First Man and The Grey Man, Gosling went all out on his silly side as Ken.
11:38 He decided to star in Barbie after he found his daughter's Ken doll face down in the mud.
11:43 I texted it to Greta and I said, "I shall be your Ken, for his story must be told."
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12:04 Gosling molded Ken from Barbie's most glorified accessory to a scene stealer,
12:10 resulting in the coolest Oscar nomination of his career.
12:15 His most recent film, The Fall Guy, shines a spotlight on the unsung heroes who are stunt
12:20 performers, although Gosling is now ironically one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood.
12:26 Is that Jodie?
12:27 Yes, it's Jodie.
12:27 Did she say something about me?
12:30 Stop with your face, stop it, stop it.
12:34 Whether starring in a film as serious as Blue Valentine or playing a character as
12:38 dim-witted as Beavis, Gosling has proven on his road from Mouseketeer to A-lister
12:44 that he's more than Kenuff.
12:46 Ken is me!
12:54 What's your favorite Ryan Gosling performance? Let us know in the comments.
12:58 I don't know, I just mean you're so good at so many things,
13:01 you can do so many things, you have such capacity.
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13:10 [Music]