Ryan Gosling eschews darker roles to be a better dad

In his review of the new film by Ryan Gosling, The Fall GuyRichard Lawson by Vanity Fair notes that the actor's first role after Barbie shows him «still the protagonist with his light side». And thank goodness. “It is Gosling at his best,” Lawson writes, “however hypnotic some of his dark and laconic performances have been.” According to Gosling, it is also an intentional move, as he recently declared to Wall Street Journal.

These days, Gosling said, “I don't take roles that put me in some kind of dark place.” On the contrary, he chooses roles «trying to test the waters at home and understand what is best for all of us (…) The decisions I make, I make with Eva. And we take them thinking first and foremost of our family.” Eva, of course, is Eva MendesGosling's co-star in the 2012 drama Like a thunder. The two have two daughters, Esmeralda nine years old and Amada of eight, who call him «Papi», Gosling confirmed to the Journal. «It kills me every time. There's nothing at all, Nothing better.”

Before giving vent to his inner Kenergy in Barbie and to sing Taylor Swift in The Fall Guywas La La Land in 2016 to mark this turning point in his career, Gosling said. “I basically thought, 'Oh, it'll be fun for them too, because even if they don't come to set we'll practice the piano every day or dance or sing,'” he said. «Their interest in Barbie and their disinterest in Ken was an inspiration. I figured that when this happened, they were already making little movies about their Barbies on the iPad, so the fact that I was going to work to make one too made us feel aligned.”

Gosling told the Wall Street Journal that since becoming a father he has become “much more aware of everything” that he has done or will do in his life. «I'm trying to understand who I am [le mie figlie] and to be there for them however I can,” he said. “They have such clear and distinct personalities that it's becoming practically obvious,” before adding: “You just want to be everything they deserve.” This ethic also had an impact on Gosling's future film choices. “I want to do things that are inclusive, not for just one audience,” the actor explained to the magazine. “For a long time I think I was just trying to pay the bills and work. Only recently did I realize that I had the opportunity to actually make the kind of film that made me love cinema.”