There are few actors working today with as much enigmatic screen presence as Ryan Gosling. And no, it's not just that he's easy on the eye, it's that he represents that old school idea of a classic Hollywood movie star. Tom Cruise, whose presence brought Dublin at a standstill earlier this week, is similar in ways; what they share is an ability to morph convincingly in and out of roles, and retain our attention from the opening to the closing credits. They are the modern day counterparts to the likes of Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Carey Grant, James Stewart and other such actors of that ilk.
What elevates the likes of Gosling above his acting peers is his inherent appeal to both men and women. There's scarce a heterosexual man who'd take issue with commenting on Gosling's classic Hollywood aesthetic; men want to be him, or befriend him, while women might prefer a roll in the hay with him. I'm not sure just being friends alone with Ryan Gosling would cut it, though perhaps I'm speaking for myself here. He's charming, he's stylish without effort, he's willing to ugly himself up for the sake of a role, he's humble about the fact that peolpe have designed tea-towels with his face on them, and when you strip all of that back, what you're left with is a fine good actor. Whether he steps into the most mainstream of shoes with the likes of romantic comedy Crazy Stupid Love and eternal weepie The Notebook, or whether he's wielding all manner of violence over his opponents in Drive, the forthcoming Only God Forgives (or just staring broodily off camera, his calculus graph-like abs adorned with all manner of tattoos as we see here in The Place Beyond the Pines), Ryan Gosling ticks all boxes. Much like the male equivalent to Jennifer Lawrence, is there anyone who could say a bad word against him? Unlikely.
Watch this opening clip for The Place Beyond the Pines and if you had any doubts before, you'll soon know what we mean.
