Ryan Goslinghas been earning rave reviews for his 100 percent committed performance as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s subversive comedic hit,Barbie. The notices have been so good that many believe Gosling is likely guaranteed an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. It should come as no surprise that the actor is good, given the fact that he already has a Golden Globe Award and two Academy Award nominations, but it does prove that Gosling is an accomplished comedic performer that should play things for humor a bit more moving forward.
Gosling’s career began on the more lighthearted side at the age of 13 on Disney Channel’sThe Mickey Mouse Club. Running from 1993-1995, the variety television allowed the actor to showcase his sense of humor along with his musical skills alongside future mega performers that included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake.
Even though the series was canceled in 1995, Gosling continued to dabble in programming for kids on shows such asAre You Afraid of the Dark?,Goosebumps,Breaker High, andYoung Hercules. Despite a degree of success on these shows, Gosling wanted to get into more “serious acting” in a bid for variety in his roles.
Ryan Gosling Begins His Movie Career With Mostly Dramatic Roles
There is no doubt that Gosling found his niche with my dramatic fare following a supporting turn in the football dramaRemember the Titansand his lead role as a young Jewish neo-Nazi in director Henry Bean’sThe Believer. While the latter was a commercial disappointment, the movie earned Gosling glowing reviews for his performance.
He would follow that film up with more intensely serious roles in films such as the thrillerMurder By NumbersandThe United States of Leland. All of these films, despite varying degrees of quality, established Gosling with a brooding sensibility that made him disappear into his roles, and it’s a standard he would continue through several more projects, but it was his penchant for comedy that would prove to show new shades of the actor’s talent.
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After finding financial success with the romantic dramaThe Notebookand earning his first Academy Award nomination as a drug-addicted junior high school teacher inHalf Nelson, Gosling went for the offbeat dark comedyLars and the Real Girl.
In the film, the actor plays Lars Lindstrom, a socially awkward man that forms a nonsexual relationship with a sex doll named Bianca. The film garnered a lot of attention for Gosling, who was praised for finding the right amount of humor in the role and yet respecting the integrity and honesty of the character.
It really was a new side to Gosling that showed he could bring levity to his performances that didn’t need to lean in a dark direction. The performance ended up being good enough to earn Gosling nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.
It would take Gosling a bit to take on comedy again, butit’s 2011’sCrazy, Stupid, Lovethat showcases the actor’s charm and sense of humor to great effect. The actor joins an impressive ensemble cast as Jacob Palmer, a smooth-talking womanizer that takes pity on Steve Carell’s Cal Weaver after his wife asks for a divorce following cheating on him with a co-worker.
While also displaying instant chemistry with Emma Stone’s Hannah Weaver, the film’s comedy was more straightforward than that ofLars and the Real Girl, and it allowed Gosling to play on his Hollywood good looks while also showing a knack for punchy comedic dialogue.
The fact that he more than holds his own against Carell is a testament to his comedic skills that just needed to right project to emerge.Crazy, Stupid, Lovewould go on to become one of the most financially successful films of Gosling’s career,grossing over $142 million worldwideon a $50 million budget, and earned the actor another Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Ryan Gosling Scores With More Comedic Roles
2015 and 2016 would see Gosling take on more comedic roles that proved the actor could do more than serious dramas. In 2015 the actor appeared as a bond salesman in the financial satire,The Big Short. The role allowed Gosling to cut loose once again after appearing in a series of dramatic roles. It’s a performance that is equal parts repulsive and magnetic, and Gosling finds a smarmy sense of fun in the role.
Related:Barbie’s Ryan Gosling Reveals the Mattel Doll Is Now a Part of His Daily Life
In 2016’s black comedybuddy action filmThe Nice Guys, Gosling doubled down on a direct comedy approach as Holland March, a down-on-his-luck private eye that is by a porn star’s aunt who believes her niece is still alive following her reported death. Gosling, along with Russell Crowe, display an effortless comedic chemistry that harkens back to buddy action films of the past.
The movie is funny and fast-paced, with a wicked smart script that allows the actor to find all the humor in the role. In many ways, it’s a preview of his total commitment that he would go on to show inBarbie.
The joy of watching Gosling as Ken inBarbieis that you can tell the actor is having a blast in the role. It’s almost as if he’s coming into himself for a second act in his career, which allows the actor to not take himself too seriously. He hits all the right comedic beats while also finding some honesty in Ken’s dilemma of wanting to become more than an accessory toMargot Robbie’s Barbie.
It’s the kind of performance that can’t work without Gosling selling it completely, and he does that and then some. Also, in a bit of a full circle moment, the movie allows him to call on his variety show roots fromThe Mickey Mouse Clubwith a big song and dance number. Sure, he shows this as well in his Oscar-nominated role inLa La Land,but it’s mixed with comedic undertones that showcase Gosling at his best.
Gosling is a gifted and diverse performer who can easily take on any character. Moviegoers still want him to tap into the brooding darkness of his more serious roles because he can escape into these parts in a way that lays out all of his emotions on the screen.
That being said, Gosling is also gifted with a brilliant sense of levity that also should be shared more. Gerwig has saidGosling is so good in comediesbecause he attacks the humor seriously with a sense of depth for the character. This is the sign of an accomplished performer who has more than one trick up his sleeve.
