Ryan Gosling's Cheek Transformation Is Wild To See In Jarring, Unfiltered Pics

As a former Disney star and child actor, Ryan Gosling has grown from preteen to middle age right in front of our eyes. Anyone who spends that much time in the public eye is bound to undergo plenty of physical changes under the intense scrutiny that comes with stardom. That's even more true if you're a heartthrob like Gosling. He became every girl's dream guy after starring in 2004's romantic drama-turned-cult classic "The Notebook." Perhaps unfairly but inevitably, fans notice every little change. Thus, his cheek transformation has not gone unnoticed.

As the side-by-side photos below show, Gosling's cheeks looked quite different in 2018 (left). By 2024 (right), his cheeks appeared more puffy, something many have attributed to fillers. The change is noticeable around his eyes, which look smaller in the after photo, as if his cheeks are pushing up against them. His face seemingly lost the angular structure that gave Gosling most of his striking good looks. Coincidentally or not, Gosling debuted his more doll-like face around the time production on "Barbie" began.

Rodin Eckenroth & Rick Kern/Getty

However, it's important to point out that Gosling has neither confirmed nor denied getting fillers. But we aren't the only ones who took note, with many expressing disappointment that someone so handsome would feel the pressure to change his appearance. "[It's] jarring to see someone's face you've gotten used to seeing all of a sudden look weird and unnatural," an X user wrote in 2024. In many ways, aging in the public eye can feel like a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't-situation, so we feel for Gosling.

There's no denying that Ryan Gosling's looks, for better or worse, defined a good part of his career. But he often struggled with the heartthrob status. "I think it embarrasses him in some ways because it's not what he feels. I got the sense it wasn't really what he felt about himself," Emily Blunt, his co-star in "The Fall Guy," told GQ in 2023. At the same time, he also found himself on the other side of that spectrum.

When it was announced Gosling would play Ken in the "Barbie" movie, many fans took issues with the casting. The hashtag "Not My Ken" even went viral on social media. While Gosling generally tends to stay away from controversy, he spoke out this time. "If people don't want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with," he joked in the GQ profile. He also argued that people's reaction helped drive home one of the film's underlying themes. "If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. So your hypocrisy is exposed," he said.

Gosling previously discussed being comfortable with aging, pointing out that he viewed it as a privilege. "With age, your perspectives shift ... I don't see any problem with getting older, quite the opposite! Aging helps you to become humble and that's a great feeling," he told German magazine Neon in 2015 (via Daily Mail). Of course, he was in his 30s back then. Seeing the aging signs on one's face is a different story, especially in the spotlight.