Some actors spend their entire careers desperately trying to look cool. Ryan Gosling somehow achieves that in bucket loads, naturally..! Whether he's playing a getaway driver, a jazz pianist, a private detective or a plastic doll having an existential crisis, the Canadian actor has perfected the art of making quiet awkwardness strangely captivating. The man could probably queue for a Tesco meal deal and half the internet would turn it into a mood board.
Long before the world discovered he was literally Kenough, Gosling had already built one of the most fascinating careers in Hollywood. Starting out as a child actor on The Mickey Mouse Club, alongside future stars like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, he gradually evolved into one of the most respected actors of his generation. Unlike some child stars, though, Ryan never seemed interested in fame for fame's sake. If anything, he often gives off the impression that he'd rather be at home fixing something with a hammer.
His breakthrough came with The Notebook, which transformed him into one of cinema's biggest heartthrobs practically overnight. Lesser actors might have happily surfed that wave for the next twenty years, but Gosling had other ideas. Instead, he started choosing strange, challenging and occasionally downright bonkers roles. One minute he was making audiences cry in Blue Valentine, the next he was driving around Los Angeles in near silence in Drive, somehow turning satin jackets and toothpicks into fashion statements.
What makes Gosling so fascinating is that he often plays blokes who seem permanently two minutes away from having either a nervous breakdown or a profound philosophical revelation. He has a gift for portraying lonely dreamers, oddballs and men quietly questioning every life choice they've ever made. Which, come to think of it, probably explains why so many people relate to him.
And then, just when everyone thought they had him figured out, he delivered one of the funniest performances of his career as Ken in Barbie. Armed with fake tans, fur coats and enough misplaced confidence to power the entire film, Gosling somehow stole scenes in a movie about a doll and earned an Oscar nomination doing it. Which is exactly the sort of bizarre career choice that makes him so entertaining.
• Ryan was such a shy child that his mum temporarily home-schooled him because he struggled with bullying. Not exactly the origin story you'd expect for one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
• During filming of The Lovely Bones, Gosling gained around 60 pounds because he believed the character should look different. Unfortunately, director Peter Jackson had other ideas and Ryan ended up leaving the project entirely. Somewhere, there's an alternate universe where a slightly heavier Ryan Gosling is in that film.
• Despite becoming one of the most recognisable actors in the world, Gosling has often spoken about preferring a quiet life and keeping his family out of the spotlight. Which probably explains why he always seems refreshingly normal by Hollywood standards.
Ryan Gosling has somehow mastered the impossible balancing act of being both a serious actor and an accidental internet meme. He can break your heart, make you laugh and stare moodily into the middle distance better than almost anyone alive. And whether he's hunting replicants, singing on a pier or shouting about horses while dressed as Ken, he always brings a weirdly charming energy that makes him impossible not to like. Quite simply, the bloke's got it.
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