From “The Believer,” to “Murder by Numbers,” to this year’s indie film, “The United States of Leland,” Ryan Gosling has made a repertoire of playing disturbed, violent youths. But he switches from being crazy, to being crazy in love, in “The Notebook,” the movie based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.
The film is directed by Nick Cassavetes and takes place during an innocent time in the 1940s, when a blue collar boy named Noah (Gosling) falls in love with a wealthy debutante named Allie (Rachel McAdams). But when Allie’s parents object to her new boyfriend, the two go their separate ways after a summer of romance. As Noah goes off to fight in the war and Allie enrolls in college, will fate reunite these two?
Ryan recently talked about the movie with us at a press day in Los Angeles.
Q: Do you find it ironic that you and Rachel play characters that are sort of ‘outsiders’, yet you’re both from Canada as well?
RYAN: We’re both in London, Ontario. It’s kind of weird, don’t you think? I love being Canadian. I think growing up in Canada gives you a world perspective that I certainly enjoy. I’m sure it helps, in some way, with what we’re doing now.
Q: Had you heard of the book by Nicholas Sparks before you got the script?
RYAN: I hadn’t heard of the book.
Q: Director Nick Cassavetes said that after he saw “The Believer,” your name was the first name that popped up first in his mind...
RYAN: I heard something like that. Nick had said that I should do the movie. So I read it and I thought he was crazy. I couldn’t be more wrong for this movie. But I met with him anyway because I wanted to hear why he thought that. I said, “Nick, this is not the face of a romantic lead! What are you thinking?” He said, “I know, that’s why you have to do it.” I said, “What are you talking about?” He said, “That way, when she says that she loves you, she means it. Of course she’s going to fall in love with Brad Pitt but you, who’s going to fall in love with YOU?” (Laughs)
Q: So now that you have a taste for the romantic lead, is this something you might want to try again?
RYAN: I had a really great time doing it but this felt like something that I should do as a character that is a very different character than what I’ve played. I just try to play as many characters as I can. You know how department stores will have those things where if you win, you get ten minutes and you get to go in and take whatever you want from the store? That’s what I’m doing. I’m just trying to grab as many characters as possible before they pull the plug on me. I don’t know if I’ll do this again.
Q: Were you uncomfortable with your sex scenes?
RYAN: Yeah, I mean c’mon, how would you like it? Anyone can go see it. Your mother can go see it. But it’s a lot easier than playing psychopaths.
Q: Which is harder for your mom to see: a sex scene or one where you’re being very violent?
RYAN: She saw “The Believer” and she ran into the bathroom and she started crying.
Q: When you get older, do you see yourself like James Garner?
RYAN: That’s when you have to shove reality through the door. There’s no way I could be James Garner. When he walks on set, women literally act like they’re on some kind of drug. They start foaming at the mouth and laugh hysterically at things that aren’t funny. They’re just acting bizarre. That doesn’t happen when I come on set.
Q: But people are marketing you as the next big thing - this cute sexy guy…
RYAN: Yeah, well, people will buy anything you tell them. (Laughs)
"The Notebook" opens in theaters everywhere June 25th.
