Ryan Gosling is one of the best actors working in Hollywood, having an eclectic filmography that spans various genres from romantic comedies, musicals, and intense dramas. The actor was riding a hot streak in 2016 with the double hit of The Nice Guys and La La Land, and in 2018 played Neil Armstrong in the critically acclaimed First Man. Yet, since his underrated film First Man, the actor has been absent from screens; it’s been nearly five years since audiences last saw the charismatic leading man.
While First Man may not have been a box-office hit and failed to capture Academy Awards attention outside its superb technical production, it was unlikely a film like that would do any serious damage to Gosling’s career, so where could the actor have gone or been up to in all this time?
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Like much of the world, Gosling likely took 2020 off, staying safe from the worldwide pandemic, but the two years prior and the two years since, and even during the pandemic, the actor was quietly working on some projects behind the scenes that have finally started to take shape. Gosling has lined up a number of high-profile projects both in front of the camera and behind it in a creative capacity, setting up an exciting new future for the actor. Take a look at what Gosling has been doing for the past five years.
Updated August 23, 2022: If you love Ryan Gosling, you’ll be happy to know we’ve updated this article with additional info surrounding his past and future projects.
Gosling Spent Time With Family
Sydney Kimmel Entertainment
The most obvious reason for Gosling’s absence from the silver screen is likely the simplest, as he has decided to spend more time with his family. His first daughter was born in 2014, which coincided with the actor’s first major absence from films, and his second daughter was born in 2016 before the release of La La Land. When First Man was released in 2018, his oldest would have been four years old and youngest two, so the actor likely decided to spend more time with his kids as they grew up.
His partner, star Eva Mendes (whom he met on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines), has also taken a similar break from movies and has not starred in a movie since 2014, the birth of their first daughter. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic likely made for some much-needed family time. With one child now roughly eight and the other six, he most likely feels more comfortable going back to work.
He Shot The Gray Man
AGBO
Gosling’s latest film is The Gray Man, from Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo, also known as the Russo brothers, who have made more MCU films than anyone else and have directed iconic episodes of television. The film is an action-spy thriller and co-stars Chris Evans, making it the first time the two actors have worked together. The movie is Netflix’s intention to compete with the James Bond franchise. Indeed, The Gray Man is Gosling’s first film since First Man back in 2018, making a return after five years.
He Became A Producer
Beaumont
Gosling is beginning to take a more hands-on approach to his career. In 2017, per Variety, he signed on to produce an adaptation of the graphic novel The Underwater Welder, about a man who encounters a supernatural force under the ocean floor that allows him to contact the ghost of his father. Then, in 2020, he signed on to both produce and star in Project Hail Mary, based on the novel by Andy Weir (The Martian) about a lone astronaut who wakes up with amnesia, but is suddenly capable of saving planet Earth. The film will be directed by 21 Jump Street duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller. What’s more, in 2021, he signed on as a producer and star in an adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s novel Memory, now titled The Actor, which sees Gosling stepping to the role of a man who must repair his life after he is left for dead in 1950 Ohio and must deal with his broken memory.
He Took On Franchise Roles
Universal Pictures
While Gosling has mainly stayed away from franchise culture, the actor is taking some major steps in his career by stepping into not one but two iconic roles. Gosling is signed on to take on the iconic Universal Monsters’ character The Wolfman in a new reboot directed by Derek Cianfrance, whom Gosling worked with previously on Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines. Gosling is very involved with the film’s story and is heavily involved in the production, reflecting the actor’s more hands-on approach to the work he is starring in. The Wolfman shows Universal Studio looking at strong visions for their classic monsters in the wake of 2017’s The Mummy bombing at the box-office. No release date is currently set for the film.
The other major one is a role in the upcoming Barbie movie by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie. Gosling is set to play Ken, a role likely taken not only to work with one of the most in-demand filmmakers, but for his two daughters. This is following in the footstep of many actors who take on these roles to impress their children and give them a film they can share together. The highly anticipated film is set to be released on July 21, 2023. It was recently revealed that Gosling’s longtime partner, Eva Mendes, had fun role-playing as Barbie while Gosling prepared for his Ken scenes. We’re all very intrigued to see the end result next summer.
Additionally, Gosling has an upcoming Universal film due out in 2024, and Emily Blunt just signed on to co-star. According to Deadline, the film is inspired by the 1980s series of the same name and will be directed by David Leitch, who is currently enjoying the box office success of Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt. Specific plot details of The Fall Guy are not yet known.
Gosling had been considered for a number of major franchises like Doctor Strange, Ghostbusters, and the Joker in Suicide Squad, yet the actor has often avoided that major commitment in favor of smaller films and more challenging roles, along with more time spent with his family. Now the actor seems more comfortable and stable in his career, and found franchises he is actually interested in. After five years, it appears Gosling has lined up a body of work that will be worth the wait.
