5 lesser-known facts about Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling in The Gray Man (image via Netflix)
Ryan Gosling in The Gray Man (image via Netflix)

Within weeks of the release of the action-packed The Gray Man starring Ryan Gosling on Netflix, it was announced that the film will have a sequel and a spin-off. According to Netflix, the Russo Brothers and Ryan Gosling will return to work on the universe of the Gray Man series. In an interview with IMDB, Ryan Gosling said that he had done films that had some action in them but never an action movie.

The actor, who shot to fame with the release of the 2004 romantic film, The Notebook, is a versatile, quiet, and shy person. Unusual for celebrities like him, Gosling does not like to talk about himself. There's a mystery to him that most of his fans and audience don't know about. So, here's a list of five things that you probably didn't know about Ryan Gosling.


From being suspended at school to fighting on set with co-star, things you didn't know about Ryan Gosling

1) Gosling didn't finish high school

He was 17 when he dropped out of school to pursue his acting career. Ryan had a really hard time at school. He was diagnosed with ADHD in his childhood years and was placed in a special needs class. His mother, worried, withdrew him when he was 10 and homeschooled him for a year. Gosling was also bullied as a kid. All of this just led him to solitude and his love for acting grew.

In and out of school, he was quite a troublemaker. He was notoriously nicknamed 'trouble' in school as he had earned a reputation for making mischief. At one point, in first grade, he got suspended for throwing steak knives at his classmates after watching First Blood. Gosling wanted to be like Rambo. About time, he got his own action movie which is only second to No Time to Die in terms of its production cost.

He said in an interview,

"I wasn't taking [the knives] to school, I was Rambo taking them to war."

2) Lived with Justin Timberlake

Yes, Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling used to be buddies. At age 12, Gosling started his acting journey together with the Mickey Mouse Club House alongside Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera.

Gosling had a two-year contract and moved to Orlando, Florida. His mother, Donna, accompanied him, however, she had to leave for Canada to keep her job. This was when Timberlake’s mother, Lynn, became Gosling’s legal guardian and the two of them lived together for a while. After the show ended, he returned to Canada.

They shared a great bond as children but outgrew that friendship.


3) The love of his life

Ryan Gosling with his beloved, late dog (image via Twitter/PageGosling)
Ryan Gosling with his beloved, late dog (image via Twitter/PageGosling)

No, we're not talking about Eva Mendes. It's his beloved dog, George. Ryan Gosling went on record more than once to state how much he loved his dog. He accompanied Ryan to almost all of his sets. In an interview, Gosling shared an anecdote about how he grew a mohawk one summer and his dog wouldn't let him grow it out. He would act mean and in Gosling's own words, like a 'jerk'.

On the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, he brought his head-to-tail mohawk dog along with him for moral support. His cute, fur friend was wearing a sock and sat beside Gosling like a true mate. Gosling said,

"He's more interesting than I am, so I thought it'd be helpful to have him out here."

Unfortunately, George passed away in 2016 at the age of 17. The La La Land actor wears his dog tag in his loving memory.


4) Got his biggest blockbuster because he wasn't handsome enough

Ryan Gosling in The Notebook 2004 (image via IMDb)
Ryan Gosling in The Notebook 2004 (image via IMDb)

It must have come as a shock, but it's true. Noah Calhoun's role in The Notebook was offered to him by the director, Nick Cassavetes, because he thought that Gosling looked kinda nuts. In an interview with the Company magazine in 2012, Ryan Gosling shared how he was cast for the role. Nick told him,

"I want you to play this role because you’re not like the other young actors out there in Hollywood. You’re not handsome, you’re not cool, you’re just a regular guy who looks a bit nuts."

The 41-year-old actor was apprehensive about taking on the role of Noah. Until then, he had only done dark roles in movies like The Believer, Murder by Numbers, and The United States of Leland. But Nick convinced him to do it. Gosling also credits his co-star Rachel McAdams for making the movie work. He thought that she was incredible and made the movie what it is.

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5) Fought with McAdams on the sets of The Notebook

A still from The Notebook (image via Netflix)
A still from The Notebook (image via Netflix)

The lead couple were sensational on screen together. Their chemistry and their romance was on point. But funnily enough, lovers on-screen (and later off-screen) Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams couldn't stand each other on the set of The Notebook.

Director Nick Cassavetes told Vh1 in an interview how Ryan and Rachel did not get along on the first day. The set was crowded with 150 people, and Ryan asked Nick to come and speak to him for a minute. He said,

"Would you take her (Rachel McAdams) out of here and bring in another actress to read off camera with me? I can't. I can't do it with her. I'm just not getting anything from this."

Later on, the duo famously dated from 2005-2007. They created quite a buzz with their relationship status, and even the director Nick Cassavetes was pleasantly surprised. Ryan and Rachel eventually parted ways, which broke their fans' hearts.


Ryan Gosling was recently seen on The Gray Man on Netflix. The film is an action flick with an ensemble cast of Chris Evans, Ana De Armas and Dhanush. It is available for streaming on Netflix. He will next be seen as Ken in Barbie 2023 opposite Margot Robbie.

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Edited by Shreya Das