Ryan Gosling is one of the best actors of this generation and has been the leading man in some of the best movies of all time as a result. However, before he stole the spotlight in flicks such as Drive or La La Land, it turns out that not everyone pictures Ryan Gosling as a classic Hollywood protagonist.
During an interview with GQ Magazine, Gosling shared how one of his most popular movies came to him due to his “unconventional” look. Back in 2004, the star bagged the leading role in the romance movie The Notebook, and according to his account, the flick’s director, Nick Cassavetes, cast him because he didn’t have the natural qualities of a leading man romance heartthrob.
“The director, Nick Cassavetes, straight up told me: ‘The fact that you have no natural leading man qualities is why I want you to be my leading man.'” Gosling said.
Now, let’s get the obvious out of the way. Considering how everyone has a crush on Gosling (and I mean everyone), it’s shocking to hear that The Notebook director didn’t immediately recognize his qualities.
But to be fair to Cassavetes, Gosling wasn’t as well known back in 2004 as he is now. Gosling started in the kids’ TV series The Mickey Mouse Club and Young Hercules before heading to the big screen.
Then he worked predominantly in independent films before The Notebook shot him up into the big time. In some ways, Gosling wasn’t the mega-leading man he is today before The Notebook, so we can forgive Cassavetes’ initial assessment.
Still, as we all now know, Gosling is definitely leading man material. Along with starring in hit flicks such as Blade Runner 2049 and The Big Short, his next big role will be as Ken in the Barbie movie.
So yeah, Gosling is a powerhouse for sure. Barbie hits cinemas on July 21, 2023. While we wait for the pink dream, here is our list of the best Ryan Gosling movies of all time. We also have guides on the iconic toys we believe deserve a movie.