Fascinating Details About Ryan Gosling

It's safe to say that Ryan Gosling has been one of Hollywood's biggest stars for almost two decades. Yet, the London, Ontario native has been acting since at least 1995, when he made his debut on an episode of Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark." Over the years, Gosling has been able to transform his career from TV child star to an Academy Award-winning A-lister, starring in fan-favorite movies like "The Notebook," Blockbusters like "Blade Runner 2049," and critically-acclaimed musicals like "La La Land."

Despite Gosling's success, it appears the "Crazy Stupid Love" actor isn't all that into fame and has been able to keep a low profile throughout his hot career because of it. While being a movie star and fame do go hand-in-hand, he told GQ that he doesn't act to be the center of attention. He explained, "I feel more often than not that what drives you to become an actor is an instinct to disappear. To become someone else. Not yourself."

Ironically, it appears that a lot of people are interested in who Gosling is as himself, even if that's something he didn't see coming. He once told The Guardian, "It's not like people looked at me and thought: 'Here's a movie star.'" He added, "People are being very supportive, and that's against my plan. I was planning on being ostracized!" You could say those supportive fans probably even want to know more about the notoriously private star. So let's break down some fascinating details about Ryan Gosling.

Ryan Gosling may be a super popular movie star these days but "The Gray Man" actor actually had a pretty lonely childhood growing up. According to The Guardian, Gosling not only didn't have friends at school but was bullied so much so that he got the nickname "Trouble" for his tendency to get into fights. He reflected on one particular incident to GQ that happened in kindergarten when he brought knives to school to throw at kids after seeing it in the movie "Rambo." "I just remember there being, like, some injustices on the playground," he recalled. "My mother was mortified," he added.

Gosling also had a tough time inside the classroom. He revealed, "I just couldn't remember what the teachers were talking about." He continued, " I felt like it looked easier for everyone else, and it was harder for me. It affected my self-worth." Some of Gosling's teachers apparently made things even worse too. He dished, "I had one teacher, because I was dancing, he thought that was funny, and he would make jokes about it in class."

Eventually, Gosling left school at age 10 to be homeschooled by his mother. "I guess I realized that there were other ways to do it," he said. He later dropped out at age 17 to pursue acting, which made sense since, during his youth, he had found solace in movies. He even told The National Post, "For two summers, I watched four movies every day."

Ryan Gosling is definitely known as an actor, but some fans may be surprised to learn that he's a musician too. Sure, he's shown off that he can sing in films like "Lars and the Real Girl," "Blue Valentine," and "La La Land," but it's something he's been doing since he was a kid. In fact, he performed songs for "The Mickey Mouse Club," and before that, he was taking the stage at talent shows and weddings. When it came to the latter, he told Interview magazine (via Yahoo), "We would sing 'When a Man Loves a Woman' to the bride."

Gosling even formed a band with a friend in 2009 called Dead Man's Bones. "We didn't know how to play instruments, so we took a year to learn to play instruments, and then we made the record. So suddenly, we were a band," Gosling told The National Post. The duo released a spooky, monster-themed album and went on tour, enlisting local children's choirs to dress up in Halloween costumes to join them. "You have to make sure they have pizza and go to the bathroom. It's not very rock 'n' roll," he joked.

While Gosling told the Independent in 2013 that they were still working on a second album, he apparently went on to pursue other musical ventures through "La La Land." That's because the already accomplished guitarist played jazz piano for the film, which per BBC, took him three months of practicing every day to learn.

It seems that Ryan Gosling has a surprising side hustle, considering that when he's not on the big screen, he runs a restaurant business. According to Morocco World News, the "Gangster Squad" actor owns a Moroccan restaurant with his friend Chef Ben Benameur in Beverly Hills called Tagine. The duo had opened the restaurant shortly after they met back in 2004, with Gosling investing $50,000 into it against the advice of his lawyers. "He was a little kid who was just trying to establish himself," Benameur recalled.

The restaurant seemed to be worth the investment, though, since Benameur told Morocco World News in another interview, "It became one of the best destinations in the city," adding, "All celebrities, kings, and emirs come here." Despite Gosling being a celebrity himself, he often joins Benameur in the kitchen, which isn't new for him since he once worked making sandwiches at a convenience store, per The Guardian.

When Gosling isn't in the restaurant, he's seemingly wowing his family with his skills at home. His partner, Eva Mendes, took to her Instagram to gush (via E!), "Ryan is an amazing chef AND baker." She added, "For reals. Incredible. No joke. I'm not sure that what I do is cooking. It's more like steaming veggies and juicing and making rice. He really cooks." Ironically though, Gosling's favorite food is apparently candy. His former co-star Emma Stone even told People, "Ryan can eat more Twizzlers than anyone you've ever met."

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes share two daughters, Esmeralda, who they welcomed in 2014, and Amada, who was born two years later. Gosling appears to have really taken to being a father, gushing to GQ, "You hear what it's like to have kids, and all the clichés are true." He went on to say, "Eva's the dream mother, and they're dream babies, and it's like a dream that I'm having right now."

Of course, parenting isn't always easy, which is why Gosling told GQ in another interview, "We spend a lot of our time trying to keep them entertained." That seemed to be especially hard during the pandemic. He recalled, "Our kids were at a difficult age not to be able to see other kids and interact with people, even though Eva and I did our best."

Now that Gosling is working again, he brings his family along on his movie shoots so they can experience different parts of the world with him. He even told Heat (via Daily Mail), "I'm like a dad first, and part of the reason for doing the film [The Gray Man] was this opportunity for us to go to these interesting places and be there with my kids." They've even started to realize what he does for work too. Gosling explained, "Well, 'Barbie' was a way to do that. Not necessarily like I'm making it for them, but it's the first time I think they kind of are understanding."

Ryan Gosling is obviously a man of many talents, which surprisingly includes dancing. The "Song To Song" actor had begun taking ballet as a kid and never lost his love for the art form. He explained to GQ, "I liked being in the studio and being in a class. And I like dancers — I like their energy." He continued, "I really liked them as a kid — I loved hanging out with them ... I love to see the way that they embody the music."

Because of that, Gosling continued to take dance classes as an adult, even if it was a little strange for a movie star hunk to be at the ballet barre. "A lot of the students are young girls, so they're there with their moms, but they just kind of watch and tell me to keep it up," he told the Independent. Of course, Gosling doesn't have a lot of days off but does make time to dance when he can. He dished, "I'm just compelled to do it, and I do it to find out why. The not knowing is interesting."

Gosling's dancing skills came in handy for the movie musical "La La Land" since he trained with former "Dancing With the Stars" pro Jenna Johnson to learn some routines for the film. Johnson gushed to People, "I was so shocked at how incredible he was at picking up things." She added, "He understood the concept and the beauty of the movement."

If you thought you couldn't love Ryan Gosling enough, think again because the man loves dogs. In fact, he had a special bond with his late dog, George, who was consistently by his side in the mid-2000s, with Gosling even taking him to work. He once told the Independent, "I wanted George here today, you know, doing interviews with me. Normally, I take him everywhere; I have special paperwork so he can travel with me wherever I go." He also talked about George to The Guardian, saying, "He looks like a little guy in a suit, and he doesn't like it that he's a dog, you can tell."

Gosling also once brought George on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon." "He's more interesting than I am, so I just thought it would be helpful," he said. Sadly, though, George died in 2016 at age 17. Gosling paid tribute to him on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," reflecting, "He was a good friend to me ... There was something about George where he always, I think he felt being a dog was beneath him."

Gosling eventually went on to adopt a Doberman with his partner, Eva Mendes, in 2019. According to People, Mendes introduced their pup on Instagram, where she wrote, "Meet Lucho. The newest member of our family." It seems Gosling loves Lucho just as much as he did George since, in 2022, he was captured by the Daily Mail, giving Lucho a big smooch while out running errands with his dog. 

It's no secret that Ryan Gosling comes off as the serious actor type, which is probably why it surprised a lot of folks that he decided to play Ken in the "Barbie" movie. Yet the father-of-two had a good reason for taking the role, which he explained on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." He recalled, "Best script I've ever read. I walk out in the backyard and, do you know where I found Ken, Jimmy? Face down in the mud next to a squished lemon." His daughters' disregard for the doll had apparently inspired Gosling since he said he then texted a photo of the beaten down Ken to the film's director, writing, "I shall be your Ken, for this story must be told."

It seems that Gosling had a good time playing Ken, though, since he joked to Variety, "This has been coming my whole life ... It was amazing," even adding, "I felt seen." Yet his daughters aren't necessarily as excited as he is about his role. "They can't for the life them understand why I want to play Ken because nobody plays with Ken! But that's why we must tell his story," Gosling told Heat magazine (via Daily Mail).

It's pretty clear that while Gosling is an award-winning actor, he doesn't take himself too seriously. Between that sense of humor, his array of talents, and how he speaks of others, it's safe to assume that Gosling will remain a fan favorite for years to come.