People Are Praising Ryan Gosling After He Explained That He Selects Movie Roles Based On What’s “Best” For Eva Mendes And Their Daughters

“This moment is what I feel like trying to read the room at home and feel like what is going to be best for all of us.”

By
Ellen Durney
by Ellen Durney

BuzzFeed Staff

It sounds like we won’t be seeing Ryan Gosling in any dark movie roles anytime soon.

Closeup of Ryan Gosling
Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images

Off the back of his Barbie success, and amid promo for his new action-comedy, The Fall Guy, Ryan said in a new interview that he plans to keep the fun going by continuing to steer clear of movie roles that are too psychologically twisted.

Ryan Gosling on "SNL"
Nbc / Will Heath / NBC via Getty Images

“I don’t really take roles that are going to put me in some kind of dark place,” he told the Wall Street Journal, explaining that his choices are driven by what’s best for his longtime partner, Eva Mendes, and their two daughters, Esmeralda, 9, and Amada, 8.

Closeup of Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling
Sonia Recchia / Getty Images

“This moment is what I feel like trying to read the room at home and feel like what is going to be best for all of us,” he said. “The decisions I make, I make them with Eva and we make them with our family in mind first.”

Ryan noted that he first began this career shift with La La Land in 2016 after realizing that his daughters might engage with the musical aspect of the film.

Closeup of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
Marc Piasecki / WireImage

“It was just sort of like, ‘Oh, this will be fun for them, too, because even though they’re not coming to set, we’re practicing piano every day or we’re dancing or we’re singing,’” he explained, adding that the girls were similarly hyped about Barbie, too.

Ryan Gosling performing onstage at the Oscars
Frank Micelotta / DISNEY via Getty Images

“Their interest in Barbie and their disinterest in Ken was an inspiration,” he said. “They were already making little movies about their Barbies on the iPad when it happened, so the fact that I was going off to work to make one, too, we just felt like we were aligned.”

Of course, Ryan’s strategy appears to be working well for him, having bagged Oscar nominations for his performances in La La Land and Barbie.

Ryan Gosling at the Oscars
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

And now, as his quotes gain attention online, fans are praising the actor for navigating his career in a way that ensures he’s in the best mindset for his family — with many noting that “everything we do as parents directly affects our children.”

Closeup of Ryan Gosling
Gerald Matzka / Getty Images

“This makes so much sense,” one user wrote on X. “I think as viewers we often don’t think about how being in a role where your character is crying or angry all day takes its toll. It’s been so fun watching Gosling have a blast in these lighter films.”


“This is beautiful,” agreed someone else, who described Ryan as “a thoughtful man.” “Energy is transferable and it’s lovely to see he’s thinking about his family. Making it a ‘we’ instead of a ‘me’ God bless him!”


“I respect him having boundaries,” commented another fan. “I’m sorry but sometimes you have to choose you over the art.”

You can read Ryan’s full interview with the Wall Street Journal here.

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