A glow up! Ryan Gosling has made quite an impression on Hollywood after plenty of memorable roles over the years.
Many people fell in love with Gosling after he played Noah Calhoun in the 2004 romantic film The Notebook. More than a decade after the Canada native portrayed the male lead alongside Rachel McAdams, author Nicholas Sparks revealed that not many actors wanted to audition.
“It was really interesting because a lot of the actors said, ‘Well, what’s Noah’s arc?’” Sparks told IMDB in 2016. “It’s a guy who falls in love and then he just kinda does nothing, and then waits for her to show up and then he’s there and he’s still in love and then at the end of the film, well, he’s still in love. Where’s the arc?”
Sparks noted that, when Gosling came in, “he really brought that story to life.”
The Remember the Titans star previously recalled the simple way that he proved to director Nick Cassavetes that he deserved the role of a lifetime.
“[Cassavettes] called me to meet him at his house,” the Blue Valentine star explained during an interview with Company magazine in 2012. “When I got there, he was standing in his backyard, and he looked at me and said, ‘I want you to play this role because you’re not like the other young actors out there in Hollywood. You’re not handsome, you’re not cool, you’re just a regular guy who looks a bit nuts.’”
Gosling continued to make a name for himself when he appeared in the critically-acclaimed film La La Land alongside Emma Stone. The romantic comedy stood out because of its musical component, which the Golden Globe winner wasn’t expecting at first.
“But, at the heart of it, it’s about these two people and it’s about their relationship, so it felt like it was accessible, even if you didn’t like musicals, you know?” he told The Flare in 2016. “The only way it would work was if there was a consistency of characters so it didn’t feel like they were suddenly different people while they were singing and dancing, and then went back to being the people who were talking five minutes earlier.”
While reflecting on the success of the film, Gosling agreed that the performances were “very powerful.”
“You can feel it in this movie when the numbers happen. It lifts you and takes you somewhere only it can,” he added at the time.
The following year, Gosling appeared in Blade Runner 2049 with Harrison Ford and admitted that he was glad he waited until then to accept a blockbuster role.
“I try not to discriminate against budget, but they never felt right. I’m glad I waited. [Blade Runner] was one of the first films that I saw that I didn’t know how to feel when it was over,” he shared with Entertainment Weekly in 2017. “The line between heroes and villains was so blurred. It’s not a hero’s journey in any way. When I was a kid that was the storyline I had seen. Thematically, there’s just so much there — it was rich, it was melancholy, it was romantic. It’s so special. So many other things have stolen ideas from it, but they could never steal its soul. I felt lucky to enter that world.”
Scroll down for a look at how Gosling went from boyishly charming child star to one of Hollywood’s hottest leading men:
A glow up! Ryan Gosling has made quite an impression on Hollywood after plenty of memorable roles over the years.
Many people fell in love with Gosling after he played Noah Calhoun in the 2004 romantic film The Notebook. More than a decade after the Canada native portrayed the male lead alongside Rachel McAdams, author Nicholas Sparks revealed that not many actors wanted to audition.
“It was really interesting because a lot of the actors said, ‘Well, what’s Noah’s arc?’” Sparks told IMDB in 2016. “It’s a guy who falls in love and then he just kinda does nothing, and then waits for her to show up and then he’s there and he’s still in love and then at the end of the film, well, he’s still in love. Where’s the arc?”
Sparks noted that, when Gosling came in, “he really brought that story to life.”
The Remember the Titans star previously recalled the simple way that he proved to director Nick Cassavetes that he deserved the role of a lifetime.
“[Cassavettes] called me to meet him at his house,” the Blue Valentine star explained during an interview with Company magazine in 2012. “When I got there, he was standing in his backyard, and he looked at me and said, ‘I want you to play this role because you’re not like the other young actors out there in Hollywood. You’re not handsome, you’re not cool, you’re just a regular guy who looks a bit nuts.’”
[jwplayer 9MtRxu7Z-zhNYySv2]
Gosling continued to make a name for himself when he appeared in the critically-acclaimed film La La Land alongside Emma Stone. The romantic comedy stood out because of its musical component, which the Golden Globe winner wasn’t expecting at first.
“But, at the heart of it, it’s about these two people and it’s about their relationship, so it felt like it was accessible, even if you didn’t like musicals, you know?” he told The Flare in 2016. “The only way it would work was if there was a consistency of characters so it didn’t feel like they were suddenly different people while they were singing and dancing, and then went back to being the people who were talking five minutes earlier.”
While reflecting on the success of the film, Gosling agreed that the performances were “very powerful.”
“You can feel it in this movie when the numbers happen. It lifts you and takes you somewhere only it can,” he added at the time.
The following year, Gosling appeared in Blade Runner 2049 with Harrison Ford and admitted that he was glad he waited until then to accept a blockbuster role.
“I try not to discriminate against budget, but they never felt right. I’m glad I waited. [Blade Runner] was one of the first films that I saw that I didn’t know how to feel when it was over,” he shared with Entertainment Weekly in 2017. “The line between heroes and villains was so blurred. It’s not a hero’s journey in any way. When I was a kid that was the storyline I had seen. Thematically, there’s just so much there — it was rich, it was melancholy, it was romantic. It’s so special. So many other things have stolen ideas from it, but they could never steal its soul. I felt lucky to enter that world.”
Scroll down for a look at how Gosling went from boyishly charming child star to one of Hollywood’s hottest leading men:
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Credit: Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
Mouseketeers!
From 1993 to 1995, Gosling was a cast member of The All New Mickey Mouse Club alongside Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears. “I went through puberty in a theme park,” he recalled to Esquire magazine in August. “I had adventures every day!”
Credit: Randall Michelson/WireImage
Denim Tuxedo
Gosling wore a lined jean jacket to the Sundance Film Festival in January 2001.
Credit: J. Vespa/WireImage
Hot and Humble
“I’m not that good looking. I think I’m a pretty weird-looking guy,” he told the Chicago Sun Times.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Noah and Allie
Gosling dated his The Notebook costar McAdams from 2005 to 2008.
Credit: Theo Kingma/Shutterstock
Rugged Ry
Gosling paired his facial scruff with a newsboy cap in August 2006.
Credit: Carolyn Contino/BEI/Shutterstock
Mustache Man
The actor had a mustache at a gala in January 2007.
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
Winning!
Gosling sported a buzzed ‘do in February 2007. He won Best Male Lead actor in an indie film at the Spirit Awards.
Credit: Carolyn Contino/BEI/Shutterstock
A Little Fuller
Gosling gained 10 pounds for his role in The Lovely Bones. He was replaced just one day before filming began by Mark Wahlberg.
Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
Svelte Again!
He was back to his trim, fit self by October 2008.
Credit: Jemal Countess/Getty
Say Cheese!
Gosling and his Blue Valentine costar Faith Wladyka were all smiles at Sundance Film Festival in January 2010.
Credit: Noel Vasquez/Getty
Musical Man
Gosling performed at FYF Fest in L.A. in September 2010.
Credit: Sipa/Shutterstock
Dapper
Gosling arrived to the Golden Globe Awards in January 2011 looking polished and classy.
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
Lettin’ Loose
Gosling undid his bow tie at Cannes Film Festival in May 2011.
Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
BFFs!
Gosling and George Clooney were all smile at the premiere of The Ides of March in September 2011.
Credit: Jay West/WireImage.com
Tough Enough
The Blue Valentine star looked tough (but still handsome) in a black leather jacket, jeans, and aviator sunglasses on the set of the Terrence Malick film Lawless in Austin, Tex., in November 2011.
Credit: JB Lacroix/WireImage.com
Gorgeous Gangster
Gosling suited up in gray pinstripes to film a scene for Gangster Squad in Hollywood in November 2011.
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Mama’s Boy
For the L.A. premiere of Gangster Squad at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in January 2013, the dreamy star — in a sepia-toned suit — brought his mom, Donna, as his date.
Credit: Vera Anderson/WireImage.com
Grin and Share It
The actor flashed a crush-worthy smile at a press conference for The Place Beyond the Pines at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel in March 2013.
Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
Smooth as Velvet
Gosling charmed in a blue velvet suit at the New York premiere of The Place Beyond the Pines in March 2013.
Credit: Rommel Demano/WireImage.com
White Hot
The hunky Drive star was dapper in a cream-colored suit and white oxford shirt at the New York City premiere of Only God Forgives in July 2013.
Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Hunky Hair Flip
Gosling smoothed back his hair and gave a smoldering stare into the camera lens at the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival in May 2014, prompting women everywhere to, well, swoon.
Credit: George Pimentel/WireImage
Grand Gesture!
Ryan Gosling attended the photocall for his directorial debut of Lost River at the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival in May 2014, dreamily waving one hand while smiling at his screaming fans.
Credit: Marion Curtis/Starpix/Shutterstock
Ready for Business
The actor looked cool and collected at the New York City premiere of The Big Short in November 2015.
Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock
Bedroom Eyes
Gosling threw a sultry look and a playful smirk at the camera during the La La Land Hand and Footprint Ceremony in Los Angeles in December 2016.
Credit: Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Debonair Entrance
The heartthrob dazzled on the red carpet during the 89th Academy Awards in Los Angeles in February 2017.
Credit: Neferet Garcia/DYDPPA/Shutterstock
True Blue
The star was effortlessly chic in a navy suit at the 66th San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain in September 2018.
Credit: Katie Jones/Variety/Shutterstock
Flashing Those Pearly Whites
Gosling’s face lit up with a gorgeous smile at the Variety Film Screening Series in Los Angeles in January 2019.
Credit: Warner Bros.
Hello, Ken!
In June 2022, Warner Bros. released the first look of Gosling as the live-sized Ken doll from the 2023 film Barbie. His tan body and chiseled abs were on full display in the press photo, as was his bleach blond hair.
