Life of Ryan

Twentysomething Oscar nominee faces off with Anthony Hopkins in 'Fracture'

By Brett Buckalew | Metromix

April 16, 2007

Rosamund Pike ("Die Another Day") and Ryan Gosling ("The Notebook") star in the legal thriller "Fracture." (Sam Emerson/New Line)

From the romantic lead in surprise hit "The Notebook" to his Oscar-nominated role in last year's gritty indie "Half Nelson," Ryan Gosling has cemented a reputation as one of the best actors of his generation. But yes, he got his start on Disney Channel's "Mickey Mouse Club."

Not that he has much in common with other notable "MMC" alums Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. His relationship with "Notebook" co-star Rachel McAdams generates the occasional tabloid headline (as did his previous involvement with "Murder By Numbers" costar Sandra Bullock), but his work suggests that Gosling, like Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro before him, is at his most exciting when he's bumming you out. To see the rising star in peak form, check out his turns in "Nelson" and his earlier indie breakthrough "The Believer," in which he plays a self-loathing Jewish neo-Nazi.

Now that Gosling has taken the leading role in a mainstream thriller, it makes sense that he's doing it on his own terms. In "Fracture," opening April 20, he plays an arrogant, initially unsympathetic assistant district attorney who gets back in touch with his conscience when trying to put away a brilliant engineer (Anthony Hopkins, "Hannibal") on trial for the attempted murder of his adulterous wife.

Gosling recently sat down to insist that he's not as depressing a guy as his choice in projects makes him out to be, and answer questions about working with Hopkins and how that Oscar nomination has changed his career.

What appealed to you about playing an egotistical lawyer?
I liked the character because I felt like in these kinds of movies, usually the lead character is very virtuous, and he's just a natural hero. But this guy wasn't a good guy. He's the "good guy" in the movie, but he's not really good. He's just not bad, and that's fine with him.

Did you base your performance on anyone you know?
You see guys like this all the time in [Hollywood]. I think living in this town, some of that rubs off on you. It's really hard to fight it. I think in a way, it's fun to do an extreme version of things that you're afraid of becoming.

What was it like to act opposite Hopkins?
Look, you could have a lottery—and every actor would enter it—to sit down at a table with Anthony Hopkins and to do a scene. I didn't want to get into some kind of act-off with him, but it's difficult, because I'm such a fan of his that I'm always watching him and enjoying what he's doing.

Did he do anything to keep you from getting too intimidated?
Anthony hates it when you take something too seriously, and I'm the biggest victim of that. I can take myself, and everything, way too seriously. He will start barking like a dog [in the middle of shooting].

Speaking of taking yourself seriously, there are a lot of intense roles on your resume.
Look, I was younger. I was full of angst. I had watched too many James Dean movies. I'm getting older, and my feelings about things are different. Also, I love comedies.

How have things changed for you after your Oscar nomination?
I get asked that question a lot more. I have more opportunities than I used to, but with that comes a certain responsibility, I think, to do the most with those opportunities that you can. So it's been really nice. My family's still so excited. That whole [Oscar] thing—they went nuts.

On Oscar night, were you able to keep from getting nervous since Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland") was the clear front-runner?
Yeah, I never had to worry about saying anything. I'd go, collect the gift bag, enjoy the food, smile for the camera. It was easy!