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RYAN GOSLING BY KEVIN SPACEY

THE SUNDANCE KID AND THE TWO-TIME OSCAR MAN

As a neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001) and a precocious serial killer in Murder by Numbers, Ryan Gosling made a name for himself by chilling his audiences to the bone. And with his next film, The United States of Leland (produced by and featuring Kevin Spacey), which debuted last month at the Sundance Film Festival, this 22-year-old Canadian once again sends shivers up spines as the schizophrenic title character. Gosling recently chatted with Spacey and revealed that despite cinematic evidence to the contrary, he is all about flowers and puppies. And rams.

KEVIN SPACEY: Is this Ryan Gosling?

RYAN GOSLING: Is this Kevin? How the heck are you?

KS: I’m extremely well. How are you?

RG: I’m okay, but I just ate some McDonald’s- and now I’m regretting it.

KS: It’s a little early in the day for a Big Mac, don’t you think there, Ryan?

RG: No. I had one of those bagel numbers.

KS: I see. How’s your dog?

RG: George is excellent, thank you. So, what’ve you been up to?

KS: I’ve been trying to shape your meandering and aimless performance in [The United States of] Leland.

RG: I feel for you, man.

KS: Actually, I saw the film again last night. We screened it for about 70 family members and friends.

RG: Apparently I’m neither your friend nor your family. I wasn’t invited.

KS: It’s astounding that I actually have 70 friends and family members. But the picture played very, very well. I’m enormously proud of it. As you know, it’s just been accepted into the Dramatic Competition category at Sundance, which will really be the first public showing of the movie. But I’m curious about your experience of playing Leland and how you got into the mind of a character like him.

RG: It was tricky. But it was really great to work with Matthew [Ryan Hoge, the film’s writer and director]. I’d never worked with anyone like him. He's really talented, don’t you think?

KS: Definitely. I love you a great deal, and you know that, but he's the real star of the movie. In what way was it different working with Matt than with anyone you’d worked with before?

RG: I think it was nice to work with somebody who is really specific and who asks more questions than I do. I really felt led by him. It was really nice to sort of give up control. We talked about this before, but it was interesting to play this character, because [in addition to mine] there are two younger versions of Leland. Coordinating all of that was fun.

KS: And it really does work seamlessly. You really feel that the little boy and the teenage boy seen during flashbacks actually turned into Leland, as you play him.

RG: And I think it makes the character a lot more real. A lot of times when you play a character it’s hard to watch, but when you get to see different versions of that character it somehow just makes it more…

KS: Yes, I know. I’ve often wished I could’ve watched a different version of a performance I’ve given. [both laugh]

RG: Are you working right now?

KS: I’m not, actually. Have you been working since I last saw you?

RG: No.

KS: What’s the matter? Nobody will hire you?

RG: Nobody. I’m putting on a one-man show about unemployment. Will you come?

KS: I will definitely come. Are you doing some of your music?

RG: No. I’ve just been reading.

KS: But you do write music; you’re also a songwriter.

RG: I play a little bit.

KS: What do you play? Guitar?

RG: Yeah. [laughs]

KS: Well, you could play the kazoo. You're from Ontario. Anything’s possible.

RG: I play this really interesting instrument made out of beaver pelts.

KS: Listen, buddy, your personal life is your own deal. So what do you hope to be doing now? I mean, now that you’ve had the experiences you’ve had, on both Leland and Believer, which, by the way, was an incredibly well-received performance in fact, I believe you’ve been given the honor of the Russian Golden Ram award, haven’t you?

RG: You heard about that Ram?

KS: I know all about the Golden Ram. You’re talking to a fellow Golden Ram award winner. I have the Ram literally sitting across my desk here.

RG: I never got my Ram.

KS: You’ve got to have an inside connection to the Russian mafia to actually get it.

RG: What does the Ram look like?

KS: It’s a ram on top of a pedestal. It’s . . . a ram. You may have to win some other damn thing before they decide to send it to you. But I was pleased you won one, because I don’t think there are many of us. It’s a very selective club. I’m hoping, personally, that next year, with Leland, you might win the Norwegian Goat. [both laugh] So, now that you’ve had these two really complex and, if I might say, satisfying performances, what is the process for you? Do you have an interest in trying to play something different? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning? Is it McDonald’s?

RG: [laughs] I think I’ve been really spoiled. I think Believer and Leland were such great things to have been a part of, and I learned a lot. Every script I get I compare to those, and it’s not fair to the stuff I’m reading. But I’d like to do something a little lighter. I’ve been in a dark place for the past couple of years. So, maybe a comedy about puppies. Flowers and puppies.

KS: We’re doing a lot of things here at Trigger Street [Spacey’s production company]. I’m going to put the feelers out.

RG: Do you have something you’re working on now?

KS: We have a number of things.

RG: Can I work on them?

KS: Do you want an acting part, or would you like to be part of the crew?

RG: Catering’s fine with me. I make a mean tuna fish sandwich. And I can always make McDonald’s runs if you need it.

Interview, February 2003, http://www.drivingmrspacey.com/Interview2003.htm

RYAN GOSLING BY DANIEL ROBERT EPSTEIN

Ryan Gosling is a rising young star in the movie world. He’s not rising in the way that James Van Der Beek or Luke Perry did, Gosling is actually quite the brilliant actor. With just a few starring roles in The Believer, Murder by Numbers and now The United States of Leland he has established himself as a powerful dramatic actor that WILL be the next Robert De Niro or Sean Penn.

In The United States of Leland, Gosling plays Leland the complex young man who is sent to juvenile prison for murdering the retarded brother of his ex-girlfriend. Gosling plays Leland as an extremely smart but very sad young man, very caring and sensitive but obviously with a strong capacity for violence.

Check out the website for the movie.

Daniel Robert Epstein: Are you growing that beard for anything special?

Ryan Gosling: You know us crazy kids. We’ll do anything crazy to our hair.

DRE: What was it like visiting the juvenile detention center for research?

RG: Yeah I went to the school that [writer/director] Matthew Ryan Hope taught at. I had a one on one with a couple of people. The most interesting thing I did was judge a talent competition there. That was just such a more intimate view than I expected to get out of the people there. I thought that was important.

DRE: You seem to heap layers of damage on the character of Leland. There is a certain way he carries himself. Is there more to him than we can even suspect?

RG: I thought a lot about him. With all of the little things, a lot of them are in the script and some Matt and I collaborated on. Then it took on a life of its own but when I watch it now it looks like somebody who is in shellshock a little bit. It looks like he is in physical pain even though he isn’t.

DRE: What is your feeling about human beings committing this kind of crime?

RG: I think we’re very complicated and we’re capable of all kinds of things and movies don’t reflect that. I think this is an example of the experiences I’ve had with the people in the juvenile detention center. More importantly than the crime I think it’s more interesting to see people who don’t feel appropriately. I relate to that because sometimes I don’t feel anything at all for things I’m supposed to and other times I feel too much. It’s not always like it is in the movies. As far as Leland is concerned I feel it’s important to show that one thing that you do doesn’t define you as a human being. It doesn’t mean there aren’t ramifications or you shouldn’t pay for that but its not who you are. If you do one good thing that doesn’t define you either. Being around the kids in the juvenile center they were engaging, they made us laugh but they were there for doing something terrible. The film is interesting because it picks up where a newspaper leaves off. They say “This kid is a monster and now he’s in prison.” So the film really examines that person and doesn’t let you write him off.

DRE: You’re embarking on a very successful career right now. How did visiting that detention center put your life in perspective?

RG: After ten minutes you want to leave. You get out and you just feel that freedom is such a gift.

DRE: You’ve done movies where you do many violent acts. Is that a release for you?

RG: You mean if I wasn’t doing movies would I be in prison [laughs]. I didn’t get there and feel like “Home Sweet Home” [laughs]. I felt a connection with those kids because we’re not very far apart in age but we obviously have different lives. I don’t know that I’m glad I have an outlet. I don’t think I would put my aggression elsewhere but working on the projects I have worked on you tend to benefit personally from trying to wrap your head around the way other people look at the world.

DRE: Have you figured out why people might commit violent acts?

RG: Yeah I think have but that doesn’t mean I would. I think that Leland’s reasons are much more complicated than most of the people I met in the prison.

DRE: Has this inspired you to become a mentor or anything like that?

RG: It’s probably more like it is a project that is now over. I don’t feel like I would be a good mentor. I don’t know what I have to offer in that respect. I do this for pretty selfish reasons.

DRE: What was the mood like on set? Did you feel the need to have some levity?

RG: Don [Cheadle] was great for that. He’s such a pro. He doesn’t have to put himself there all day to get it right. He can just turn it on. I think he sensed when he came on that we needed something.

DRE: Was it tough to shake off the sadness that Leland had?

RG: No because I really liked Leland, I really liked playing him and I missed him when it was over. He had a sensitivity I really admired and that was a nice place to be. It wasn’t a problem because I thought he was quite beautiful.

DRE: I read an article about you the other day where you were talking about how you were suicidal at one point.

RG: I think about death a lot like I think we all do. I don’t think of suicide as an option but as fun. It’s an interesting idea that you can control how you go. It’s this thing that’s looming and you can control it.

DRE: You’ve done so many heavy movies. Do you have a comedy you want to do?

RG: I feel like those kinds of things are just for entertainment value and I don’t like to be entertaining. I don’t like the feeling of being entertaining. If there was a musical or a comedy that was not just for entertainment but was rooted in something I could relate to on a real level then I think I would do it. I try not to discriminate against genres. I did a film called The Notebook which was kind of a different genre. I think it’s important to explore those.

DRE: I read you were in The Mickey Mouse Club with Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christine Aguilera. Was it hard to escape that?

RG: It happened quickly. I was 11 and it was this brief thing that happened. I feel like everything has happened naturally. I don’t remember it at all. Do you remember when you were 11?

DRE: If I was in The Mickey Mouse Club I would. Do you still have the ears?

RG: I don’t recall having to wear the ears.

DRE: So you weren’t briefly married to Britney or anything.

RG: [laughs] You’ll get nothing interesting out of me.

DRE: Do you see the movie as hopeful or depressing?

RG: I think it is very hopeful because anytime you make a deep connection the way Pearl and Leland do it’s an important feeling to have. The fact that Leland is able to do it is an amazing accomplishment for someone who is as guarded as he is.

DRE: Ryan how will you entertain us next?

RG: [laughs] A minstrel act [Ryan does jazz hands].I finished a movie called Stay that will be out this fall. It’s very serious of course.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

An Interview with Ryan Gosling by Edgar "El Toro" Arce

Ryan Gosling had his career breakthrough when he landed the challenging lead role of Danny in the controversial film, The Believer. Gosling also received high praise for his work in the psychological thriller, Murder by Numbers, opposite Sandra Bullock. Gosling’s desire to pick intricate and complex characters led him to being cast in the lead role of Leland in the film, The United States of Leland, opposite Don Cheadle and Kevin Spacey. The Notebook is a bit of a switch for him and here is what he had to say about it.

What is the meaning of this film for you? How important was it for you to do a film like this?

Ryan Gosling: Well, it was very different from the films I’ve done so it was very important for me. I felt like I wanted to play a character that had clarity and knew what they wanted; I felt the distilled difference between myself and the character.

Is it true you were once a mouseketeer with Britney spears and Christina Aguilera?

Ryan Gosling: That’s the rumor.

Do you feel like you’ve come along way from those days?

Ryan Gosling: Uh huh. I was so young, so I don’t remember a whole lot from that time except that I rode a lot of rides at Disneyland all the time.

Well you Canadians are everywhere! Is that the connection of why you and Rachel had such a connection in the film, because you’re both Canadian?

Ryan Gosling: I don’t know, what it was, I mean she’s a lovely girl, so I think that might have helped.

The director, Cassavetes, says that the two of you went across the country auditioning girl’s together. What was the difference between the girls that auditioned for the role, versus when Rachel auditioned?

Ryan Gosling: I think the big difference is that the girls would usually ask us what we wanted, or how it should be played, and I don’t know anything about woman and Nick doesn’t know anything about woman, and we needed someone who could tell us, and not be influenced by what other wanted. You know, Hollywood usually doesn’t have strong woman in films like that and it’s stupid, so for the most part they’re usually being directed and written by men. So when Rachel came in we asked do you have any questions, and she said “no”. Nick asked, so you understand the character? She said “yea” and then Nick said action, and she ran the gamete of emotions, and she wiped tears off of her face when she was done, picked up her stuff and then walked out. She was like that throughout the film.

Can you define how chemistry is created or is it simply theory?

Ryan Gosling: I can’t define it.

So is it more organic?

Ryan Gosling: I don’t know how. I think we had a mutual respect for one another. She brought it to the set and I did the same thing and I think that’s what it was.

What about the Ferris wheel? Was that you or were you in front of a blue screen?

Ryan Gosling: No it was me.

Did you have to work out to hold on like that?

Ryan Gosling: I did put on weight for the last half of the film, but the Ferris wheel scene was shot with a harness on me so that if I fell I wouldn’t fall all the way.

When I saw that I thought that’s not really him, they wouldn’t risk him getting hurt and lose the films lead male.

Ryan Gosling: Well what’s interesting is that they shot that scene last.

So why did you put on weight?

Ryan Gosling: Well, I figured you know, when he starts rebuilding the house and , him being a country boy, you know, he would definitely be much stronger.

How much weight did you put on?

Ryan Gosling: I think about 25 pounds.

Did you work out in the gym all day for that?

Ryan Gosling: I worked building furniture for the film that was really used. I worked with a man named Walter Smith and we worked together for like two months. I actually made the table that my character and Rachel’s use to consummate the relationship.

So did you like being a carpenter?

Ryan Gosling: I liked it a lot! I really did.

How did you research the war stuff?

Ryan Gosling: I have a friend that is a WW2 buff and we sat and talked a lot about stuff like the war and the reasons behind it, and you now it’s all in the uniform. Once you’re in it, it usually does all the work for you.

So did you have a problem or was there something inspiring about working with an actor like Rachel that is basically the lead in the film and is such a strong character?

Ryan Gosling: I like working with actresses, and I like woman a lot, not for obvious reasons, but just in that that there’s so much about what they bring to the scene that keeps it so interesting. Their instincts are so different, and they never explain them to you but in film it will get spelled out.

So what next for you?

Ryan Gosling: A movie called Stay.

What’s that about?

Ryan Gosling: It’s directed by Marc Forster, who also did Monster’s Ball and Naomi Watts is in it, and visually it’s stunning. It’s about a young guy, me, who’s going to commit suicide. He goes to his therapist and tells him the same thing and the therapist only has a few days to save him.

Who’s the therapist?

Ryan Gosling: Ewan McGregor. And the therapist is trying to help him, but in the process of trying to help him, the therapists own reality starts to fall apart.

Sounds cool.

Ryan Gosling FoxKids Interview from Fall 1998's Issue

Ryan Gosling! "He's not a Greek hero(half god, half mortal), but he plays one on TV. As Young Hercules, Ryan Gosling gets a chance to flex his acting muscles, find the power within his heart, and wear a really cool costume. FOX KIDS got the scoop on the hunky hero, while he was filming in New Zealand." For the Interview, TFK=Totally Fox Kids and rg=Ryan Gosling... : )

TFK: What was your first acting job? rg: I was on the Mickey Mouse Club. That was great fun. It was like Saturday Night Live for kids. Singing, dancing, skits. Great, now it's out of the bag. Everyone will know that I sing and dance.

TFK: What kind of martial arts training had you done before you started on Young Hercules?
rg: None. I watched a lot of kung fu movies, tons of them. I had a Blockbuster belt! I started training with Doug Wong just before the show. He's the same guy that trained Kevin Sorbo and Lucy Lawless. He taught me a lot about weapons and how to stand and stuff.
TFK: Do you have a girlfriend?
rg: No, I don't have time. I'd have to meet a pretty special girl who would understand my schedule.
TFK: What makes you fall for a girl?
rg: She'd have to be super understanding about the work, that it takes so much out of you that you really don't have time for many other things. She'd have to be someone who was willing to accept that; that's pretty special.
TFK: How do you think you'll recognize Ms. Right?
rg: If she asked me out...
TFK: What does a guy like Hercules eat for lunch?
rg: Well, I eat whatever's on the catering truck. They have this stuff here called kumra. It's a little bit like a sweet potato. They make kumra fries, baked kumra. It's terrific. Really great.
TFK: Have you ever met Xena?
rg: Yeah, I met Lucy. She came to the set with her kids. She gave me good advice about playing the part.
TFK: What's the most exciting thing you've ever done on the show?
rg: Probably being chased by a huge fireball. That was pretty neat. We set off about 25 of them. They were these huge, huge blasts and we were running away from them, and they had the whole back of our heads greased up so we couldn't catch on fire. It was pretty neat.
TFK: What's the wackiest thing that's ever happened to you on any set?
rg: Just yesterday I was covered in mud for the entire day. I had to do this scene where I was pretending to be like my friend, Iolaus. I had a mop on my head and I was rolling around in a pigpen, just covered in mud the whole day, acting with pigs.
TFK: Is it ever dangerous, doing this kind of thing? Do you do your own stunts or do you have stunt people?
rg: I try and do as much as I can, but anything that's too dangerous, they don't let us do.
TFK: What's the weather like in New Zealand?
rg: The seasons are the exact opposite from over there. Right now we're going into winter. It's getting kind of cold and we're running around the forest half naked. It's not as glamorous as you thought. Fiji is right near here, about an hour away. Hopefully we can make a trip out there.
TFK: How do you feel about the costumes you wear on the show?
rg: It's the kind of costume that you really have to like because I don't change, I wear that every day. It's all made out of leather; it's finely woven. They're realy beautiful and intricate. I'm pretty lucky-I have the coolest costume on the set(don't tell anybody I said that).
TFK: Do you have any advice for kids who might want to be actors?
rg: It's something you just have to stick with. It's not something that's going to happen right away. 99% of the business is rejection. Maybe that 1 time or 1% you get work or positive feedback (at least that's my experience). You just have to stick it out. It's a lot of fun and you have to take everything with a grain of salt.
TFK: Why should kids watch Young Hercules?
rg: Because it's going to be fun! It's completely different from anything that's on right now, as for kid's shows go. Come hang out with us!

URG