Ryan Gosling Fracture Interview

MoviesOnline recently caught up with Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson) at the Los Angeles press day to promote his new film, Fracture. The dramatic thriller also stars Anthony Hopkins and is directed by Gregory Hoblit from a script written by Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers.

When a meticulous structural engineer, Ted Crawford (Hopkins), is found innocent of the attempted murder of his beautiful younger wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), the young assistant district attorney Willy Beachum (Gosling) who is prosecuting him becomes a crusader for justice. Nothing is as simple as it seems in what should have been a slam-dunk case. Fracture is packed with twists and turns that weave in and out of the courtroom as the pair try to outwit each other. The film features an outstanding supporting cast that includes Academy Award-nominee David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck), Rosamund Pike (Pride & Prejudice), and Billy Burke.

Ryan Gosling admits that an actor’s reaction to any script depends heavily on their frame of mind at the time they read it. "I was living in a tent for two months, so when I talked to Greg Hoblit from my tent, it definitely sounded interesting,” he laughs. "But I honestly wasn’t sure what I could bring to the table,” he says on a more serious note. "I just knew it was something I should do. I liked the suspense, I liked that I couldn’t figure it out when I first read it, and I liked that Anthony Hopkins was playing Crawford. It’s not every day you get to work with one of your heroes.”

Hoblit first noticed Gosling when he saw The Believer, which premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. "What’s perfectly clear right off the bat is that Ryan has an abundant talent,” declares Hoblit. "The kind of focus and intensity he has can’t be taught – you just have it or you don’t. That, coupled with his off-beat good looks and natural charisma, made it a pretty easy call.”

"The minute you lay eyes on the character of Willy, you know he’s a smart guy,” says Hoblit. "Ryan embodies that. His intelligence is completely apparent and because he’s such a facile actor and has so many gears, I find him compelling to watch. I honestly can’t name another actor in his age range who’s as engrossing. Shooting was endlessly interesting because nothing was ever the same from take to take because Ryan tries to find the truth in each moment. I knew he’d be a beautiful foil for Anthony.”

Landing the controversial lead role in the film The Believer was a career breakthrough for Ryan Gosling who has a penchant for take on intricate and complex characters. His performance garnered him rave reviews and industry-wide attention. This year, Gosling was honored with an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in Half Nelson in which he played a drug-addicted inner city junior high school teacher. His performance also earned him a Best Male Lead Actor award at the Film Independent’s Spirit Awards, as well as Best Actor nominations from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Broadcast Film Critics Awards, Chicago Film Critics, Online Film Critics’ Society, Toronto Film Critics and the Satellite Awards.

Ryan Gosling is a fabulous guy and we really appreciated his time. Here’s what he had to tell us about his latest film and what it was like playing opposite Anthony Hopkins:

Q: Did you gain weight in this role because your character is always eating?

RYAN GOSLING: (Laughs) I know, it’s kind of annoying, isn’t it?

Q: Was that a choice you made as an actor to give your character more color or was it something the director suggested?

RYAN GOSLING: No, it was just, you know, one of those things where it was a guy that never slept obviously because he was working two jobs and couldn’t really be sleeping, and so we just kind of made him this sugar-freak, you know—he was always eating Jelly Bellies. Every day I would show up on set and I had a huge bag of Jelly Bellies and I’d try and make it through.

Q: You’ve had a lot of success the last couple years with The Notebook, an Oscar nomination for Half Nelson, and now working opposite Anthony Hopkins. Are things going according to your plan? Is this something you set out to do?

RYAN GOSLING: It’s so surreal…you know what I mean? To hear things like that is funny…I’m just getting used to it. Okay, you’re right. The Oscar nomination and everything… No, it’s been a total surprise, you know, and you could never…I think if I was aiming for things like that, I would have made totally different choices. Like these things happened…it’s a surprise. When we made Half Nelson, we didn’t think anyone would see it. So we never thought that it would get recognized on the level that it did. You know I never thought I’d be working with Anthony Hopkins. I’m such a huge fan. And to get to do a movie with him—he’s a master. To watch a master work at anything is a privilege. To get to show up on set, and that’s what you do, and get to be in scenes with him and watch Anthony work and watch how he handles making a film, has been a really surreal experience.

Q: What about the chemistry between you and Anthony?

RYAN GOSLING: It’s hard not to have chemistry with Anthony, you know.

Q: But there was something different going on between the two of you there. It was some sort of dance.

RYAN GOSLING: Well, I think the thing is…what it is really, I think, is that I’m enjoying everything he’s doing so much that I’m trying to get over the fact that I’m in scenes with Anthony Hopkins. And every time he does something I’m like [stares in wide-eyed amazement]…I just want to watch him and I have to remember that I’m in a scene too, and I have to play the character and be serious. And like my character doesn’t enjoy him at all. And it was really tricky to enjoy him as much as I was and try and pretend like I’m not.

Q: It almost came across that way

RYAN GOSLING: Yeah, I think it kind of sneaks through, like I’m really having too much fun being there.

Q: Did you get the kind of latitude when you were developing the shading and the depth of character on this film that you did with Half Nelson?

RYAN GOSLING: "You obviously can’t spend as much time on those things because it’s a plot-driven movie, it’s a thriller, it’s not about…a movie like Half Nelson is about those shades of grey you know, and you have a whole movie to explore those. A movie like this, it’s very different and requires a totally different technique and acting style, something I’d never done before. And for me, what makes this job fun, you know, is that I can go from something like Half Nelson—like a $500,000 movie you know about nothing -- and explore that, and then go to this movie, which is a much bigger movie and it’s just completely plot-driven. And then I went and did another film after that called Lars and the Real Girl, which is like this Hal Ashby type movie about a guy who falls in love with a sex doll, you know. For me, that’s what keeps it interesting.

Q: What did you love about and what did you find most surprising about Anthony Hopkins?

RYAN GOSLING: Well, I think I thought what everyone would probably think, you know, that he’s going to be this really intense guy, Sir Anthony Hopkins and all of that, but he’s so funny [laughs] and he doesn’t take this seriously at all. He’s constantly moving. He’s so inspiring to watch. He’s either painting or he’s writing or he’s directing or he’s composing—he never stops. He’ll be doodling when he talks to you and it’s the greatest doodle you’ve ever seen. And then he’ll get five minutes off and he’ll go to his trailer and he’ll paint a painting and he’ll come back with paint all over his hands. He’ll come back and do the scene. He just never stops. And he’s a fascinating guy to watch. I learned how to make a movie by watching him, because so many actors come on set and they think, ‘this is my journey, this is my character’s journey, and so you’re all here to facilitate that’ –and the movies are set up that way. They really like—they don’t help—actors become these notorious characters because movies support that. And they’ve got everyone getting you things and asking you what you need and how can I help you and everything you want and get out of my eye-line, and all that stuff. And Anthony makes you—he’s totally the opposite. He makes you feel like this is your movie too, it doesn’t matter what you do on the film, it’s a collaboration, we’re all here together, it’s totally inclusive—he talks to everybody, he wants to do it. He isn’t precious with his process, he like gives it to you and leaves it on the table, and anyone can pick it up whenever they want and try and figure it out. I did. I was trying to take it apart and figure out why he’s so great—I couldn’t. I never worked it out.

Q: I’ve heard he barks on set. Is that true?

RYAN GOSLING: He barks. He barks like a dog and it sounds exactly like a dog. I mean everything he does, he does so good that you can almost tell the breed (laughs).

Q: He seems like a bit of a prankster on top of everything also—did he pull any stunts on you besides the barking?

RYAN GOSLING: He’s just always…he’s always up to something. Did he tell you that story on Elephant Man? When he was so…he thought it was so pretentious—black and white and the thing about the Elephant Man that was so important and sad and he was just like ‘eh, I’ve had it with this.’ So he started meowing like a cat. And he’s doing like this [makes a murmur face] so you can’t see him doing it. And for an hour he had everyone looking for the cat on set. He’s doing it through takes, he’s got PA’s on roofs—they’re looking for the cat. And, finally, David Lynch looks at him and he sees it, and Anthony can’t stop laughing because he’s loving it, and David Lynch is like ‘you son of a bitch…’

Q: You mentioned that Anthony has various hobbies and rituals on set that he does? Do you have any yourself?

RYAN GOSLING: No. You know, when I get better, I’ll be able to take time off. I mean Anthony’s a genius so he can do all these things all the time. But you know I have to focus. It depends on the character really, you know, whatever the character is. Sometimes you have to do things that help you stay in it.

Q: The director talked about how your input helped shape the final product. Do you have aspirations to write?

RYAN GOSLING: Um, yeah, I think…you know as far as this script was concerned, I was happy to be able to have access to that. Sometimes it’s really not your job, you know, but I think Greg (Hoblit) and Glen [Gers] were really open and allowed us to have a say and put ourselves into it which I was really appreciative of.

Q: You sound really aware of actors becoming full of themselves as they get further in their careers—do you find yourself on a shoot going, ‘you know what, I’m just going to get that myself.’ Do you try and keep yourself level or are you like, ‘no, assistant, go get it.’

RYAN GOSLING: I’m screaming at people. I’m doing drugs in my trailer. I’m taking the ride. [Laughs]

Q: Was there something in the story or a particular line or plot point that really impressed you when you read the script, that told you this wasn’t the typical legal thriller, that this was something you absolutely had to do?

RYAN GOSLING: I liked the character. Willie’s a character that… Most movies like this, in this genre, they’re really virtuous guys, like natural heroes waiting to come out. And this guy’s not. He’s not good. He’s not a good guy, and he never really is. He’s the good guy in the movie because he’s better than Anthony’s character, but he’s not really that good, and he’s not bad, and he’s ok with that. As long as he’s not a bad guy, he can live with it. And he’s just naturally kind of a narcissistic, self-obsessed, selfish guy with tons of ambition. And he’s kind of put in a situation in this movie where if he lets a woman die for a promotion, he’s going to officially be a guy he doesn’t want to be. So he reluctantly does the right thing. In the whole film, doing the right thing is kind of a pain in the ass for him, and he never makes some kind of huge moral shift, he just reluctantly walks that line, and I thought that that was probably more realistic.

Q: You are a leading man like it or not, is that something you’re rejecting or trying to?

RYAN GOSLING: Um…I don’t know…look at, I want to be able to have as many options as possible, so I don’t want to be stuck in any one specific place. But all of these things that have been happening for me have provided more opportunities, and as long as that keeps happening, I’m happy.

Q: It sounds like your next movie, Lars, is really going to turn the romantic genre on its head?

RYAN GOSLING: Yeah but it’s the most romantic movie I have ever… For me, it’s even more emotional and romantic than The Notebook. (Laughter) It is, you’re laughing but it is. It’s really like a love story. You don’t have to be loved back in order to love something. And I think that it’s a real love story about a guy who’s got a lot of love to give and no one to give it to so he projects it onto this thing.

Q: Why doesn’t he have anyone to give it to?

RYAN GOSLING: You have to see the movie. It’s a really great script and it’s something that I can’t do justice in trying to explain it.

Q: I have heard so many grown men say that they have cried over The Notebook, like really crying loud-noise crying…

RYAN GOSLING: Eh, sissies. (Laughter). (Jokingly) What’s the matter with them?

Q: Can you talk about the Icelandic film you’re working on, The Good Heart, directed by Dagur Kari. I like that director a lot.

RYAN GOSLING: Oh, yeah, you know we’re trying to work out a time to do it. But I love Dagur—he’s great. And Tom Waits is like, you know ever since I’m 14, he’s been like one of my heroes and an example in a way, because he’s somebody that has always done his own thing and been able to express himself however he needed to and also stay out of the public eye. He’s just a great talent.

Q: Will you be shooting that in Iceland?

RYAN GOSLING: No, we will be shooting that in San Francisco. When the Oscars things happened, Tom Waits left me a message and he said, [in Tom Waits gravely tone] ‘stay in your own skin and don’t stick your finger in any light sockets.’

Q: What was Oscar night like for you?

RYAN GOSLING: Oscar night was a totally surreal experience, I think. I had just gotten back from Africa so it was like two days later and it couldn’t have been two more extreme experiences, and I was really grateful to have had both of them because it helps you see something in the middle, I think. But it was a great night for my family and that’s something I didn’t expect. Awards are whatever importance you want to put on them, that’s what they are, they are for…they’re very personal. But it meant so much to my family. I had no idea how proud it was going to make all the people in my life. They were so thrilled. So I was really grateful to have had that experience and been a part of making them feel that way.

Q: You made Canada very proud.

RYAN GOSLING: You Canadian?

Q: Since Notebook is such an iconic, modern, romantic film, what did you think when they parodied it in Just Friends?

RYAN GOSLING: I thought it was funny. I didn’t see it but I heard that they were doing it. I knew that they were kind of making fun of it. Yeah, it’s funny.

Q: Where in Africa have you been?

RYAN GOSLING: Uganda…Northern Uganda.

Q: How long were you there?

RYAN GOSLING: I was there for two weeks.

Q: I have heard it’s made a major shift in a positive way.

RYAN GOSLING: Um, well, you know Kampala and that area has absolutely—you mean since the Amin era?

Q: Yes, and AIDS had hit Uganda very, very hard and now they have made some advances on how they deal with AIDS, especially among the rural communities.

RYAN GOSLING: I guess, but not really. I mean it’s still so, so, so scary. It’s not something that they talk about. And the thing is they’re so poor. They’re so poor that they can’t afford prophylactics, and they can’t afford food, so they have nothing. So you try telling a group of people who have nothing not to make love. And it’s just everywhere. I met a 3-year-old girl at the doctor, we thought she had Tuberculosis, you know we just took her to get tested and she ends up having HIV. It’s a huge problem. You know poverty is the biggest problem over there, but there’s obviously that 20-year conflict with the LRA, the UPDF.

Q: Are you doing humanitarian work? What was the motivation for this?

RYAN GOSLING: No, not like…it’s an interest of mine…two years ago I…but I’m not involved in any charities or anything specifically. I went to the Darfur refugee camps in Chad and I saw the conditions of those camps and I started to learn about genocide in Darfur, and then I learned about these child soldiers in Uganda and Joseph Kony in the LRA and all these things, and for me, I can’t believe it. And I hear these things, I can’t believe it, and I try to figure out what part of them is true. And the more I’ve learned, the crazier it gets. It’s amazing to me that this has been going on for 20 years in the public eye. No, first of all, the Darfur thing has been happening, and that there’s a rule in the UN that if you say something is genocide, you have to do something about it, you’re obligated to, and that they’ve said it’s genocide and yet nothing happens. And I think this has been going on for 20 years and that 30,000 kids have been abducted from their homes and forced to kill each other and their families. And little girls are being used as sex slaves. 1.5 million people have been removed from their homes and the world sits by and watches.

Q: Can you talk about why your character buys suits from thrift shops and then uses a tailor?

RYAN GOSLING: Oh yeah, because the character is broke but he’s got to blend in with people with money. So we thought it might be an interesting idea that he would go to thrift stores and buy vintage suits for $20, get them tailored for $50 Downtown, and that he would put out $100, but he would have this suit that looks good and that he could pass off as being a fashion statement as opposed to being able to try and defend why he can’t afford Armani suits.

Q: He doesn’t seem concerned about defending those things though. He’s not embarrassed about not knowing what to do. Is that confidence something you liked about the character?

RYAN GOSLING: Yeah, it was a false confidence, this bravado, that kind of obnoxious ‘I never feel uncomfortable kind of attitude,’ you know, just like overcompensating.

Q: Did you base that on a person you’ve known?

RYAN GOSLING: I’ve met some agents like that. [Laughs]

Q: Did you have input on your character’s living situation – such as the car he drives, where he lives, how he dresses?

RYAN GOSLING: Yeah, I think it was a group decision, but it was all trying to find a guy who was trying to assimilate into a world that he couldn’t afford and how many ways can you do that, you know -- so I think the car and all these choices to go classic, in his mind what he would say is classic, or old school. It was really just the cheap way of defending what he can’t afford. So yeah, we tried to make those decisions in all of those aspects.

Q: There’s something about you that reminds me of Brad Pitt and I’m trying to think what?

RYAN GOSLING: Must be the…(laughs)…is it my abs?

Q: Brad worked with Anthony Hopkins and there’s his humanitarian work. Every so often you see people who follow the same path. And I thought he had good chemistry with Anthony as well.

RYAN GOSLING: Oh, yeah, he did. It’s hard not to have chemistry with Anthony though. He’s so powerful that he has this kind of huge momentum, and you get sucked into it. And [when] you get involved with him, you just get caught in the undertow.

Q: Did the two of you ever talk about how to play a scene you were in together?

RYAN GOSLING: Yeah, we would talk about it, but Anthony doesn’t like to talk about it too much. And I really appreciated that. Because everything just happens for him.

Q: Do you know what you’re going to do next? Are you waiting for the right script?

RYAN GOSLING: Yeah, I’m just reading.

Q: Is there a particular film you want to do, perhaps a genre film or another indie film?

RYAN GOSLING: Yeah, I don’t know. I’m trying to make a film about the conflict in Northern Uganda -- you know, a film that I want to direct. So that’ll take a little while.

Q: What do you think of the cover of this month’s Elle? [Ryan’s girlfriend Rachel MacAdams appears on the cover.]

RYAN GOSLING: Oh yeah, she looks stunning!

Q: Great cover.

RYAN GOSLING: Absolutely, yeah.

Q: Did you have input at all on that?

RYAN GOSLING: No, I don’t have input…no, I don’t.

Q: Because she said in the article that you’ve really been a good influence on her as far as picking roles, being selective, holding firm until something comes along that you really, really want.

RYAN GOSLING: Yeah…she’s kind. She doesn’t need any help from me. She’s inspired me to do so much as well. She’s the most discerning person I’ve ever met. She’ll read a script 100 times. She’s relentless.

Q: Do you still have a place in Toronto?

RYAN GOSLING: No, I don’t. My mom still lives in Canada though.

Q: What has changed most for you after the Oscar nomination?

RYAN GOSLING: I get asked that question a lot—that’s what’s changed. [Laughs]

Q: Did you get many gift bags?

RYAN GOSLING: Yeah but it’s all girls stuff in it. There’s nothing for us.

Q: Thank you.

RYAN GOSLING: Have a nice day.

Fracture Clip: Where I Belong	Fracture Clip: Weak Spot	Fracture Clip: Verbal	Fracture Clip: Old Sport	Fracture Clip: I Shot Her
Fracture Clip: Call me Later	Fracture Clip: A Machine	Fracture Trailer