The Evolution of Ryan Gosling: From ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ to ‘La La Land’ (Photos)
Ryan Gosling traveled to New Zealand in 1998 to film the kids series “Young Hercules,” in which he played the titular son of Zeus during his warrior training. Shortly afterwards, Gosling decided to move from TV to film and take on more adult roles.
Child actors sometimes have a hard time transitioning to a successful adult career, but Gosling made the jump thanks to his performance in “Remember The Titans.” His previous TV work helped him pick up the role in Disney’s family movie, while the film’s message on race helped him prove that he could handle more thematically heavy work.
In 2001, Gosling burst onto the independent film scene with “The Believer,” in which he played a Jewish neo-Nazi who struggles with self-hatred over his heritage. Critics praised Gosling for his thought-provoking portrayal of the film’s almost paradoxical main character.
A year later, Gosling got a chance to perform alongside a top star for the first time when he starred in “Murder By Numbers” alongside Sandra Bullock. Gosling played a privileged, sociopathic high school student who tries to commit the perfect murder, while Bullock played the detective assigned to track him down.
Gosling then found mainstream success in the 2004 romance “The Notebook” alongside Rachel McAdams. The two won an MTV Movie Award for their kiss in the film, which has earned praise for becoming one of the most famous kiss scenes in movie history.
Gosling made a big comeback, however, with the Best Picture-nominated film “The Big Short” in 2015. He plays Jared Vennett, a slick bond salesman who decides to profit off the speculative housing market bubble at the cost of the bank he works for.
Now Gosling is going back to comedy with “The Nice Guys,” where he stars alongside Russell Crowe as a jumpy private eye who uncovers a conspiracy alongside his bitter rival
After 2011, however, Gosling fell into a slump with the critics, receiving middling to poor reviews for several years. His most polarizing project was “Only God Forgives,” which reportedly received loud jeers when it was screened at Cannes.