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The other day, several bloggers were invited to a Ryan Gosling roundtable at the Four Seasons (audio of the interview at the end of this post). The junket took up a giant suite which had the lovely publicists in one room, with a giant flat screen TV with Drive clips playing on it, and a whole room devoted to beverages. Deeper inside was the lunch area. Sandwiches, shrimp salad and little fudgy squares were there for hungry people kept waiting about twenty minutes for some time with Mr. Gosling.
As we waited in the front room I got to listen like a fly on the wall to the bloggers I didn’t know. One held a Canon camera and was waiting to snap a few photos of Mr. Gosling, if given the opportunity. But bringing a camera to these things is always risky – no studio wants to be responsible for some non-approved weird shot of their star. So usually you aren’t allowed to photograph them unless they’re at a photocall, on the red carpet or out on the street. It’s considered rude to even ask but most of us will ask anyway. It doesn’t matter much as one look at Gosling and you never forget it. I was part of a roundtable in Cannes with Gosling and Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine and you are immediately struck by the light blue of his eyes. Every writing class in the world tells you not to describe blue using the sky but with Gosling there isn’t any other blue that can compare with it – and they’re like an Oklahoma sky. Gosling has, as David Byrne would say, a face with a view. It takes you a few minutes to work your way down from his eyes to his neck and then shoulders. Yes, to interview Ryan Gosling is to be physically uncomfortable for a few hours.
But we’re supposed to be professionals, all of us, even though most people wouldn’t know us in a room full of other writers – as bloggers we might have big voices online and an audience but out there in the real world we have to fight amongst the Darwinian forces at play like everyone else.
The talk drifted from movie to movie, opinions flying outward that themselves identified a person in a group: that’s a person who liked Drive. That’s a person who didn’t. That’s a person who liked Tree of Life. That’s a person who likes everything. Every so often a journalist or blogger would approach the publicists and ask if it was their time. “Not quite,” they were told. “But we have to make a screening at 2pm on the Westside,” many of them were saying. And, as we all do in these situations, I wondered why I hadn’t been invited to that screening and what movie it was. You see, we bloggers are always measuring our own clout amongst each other, which is silly ultimately, but unavoidable in a competitive business.
No one really could have complained about the time delay, what with the free lunch and lovely digs for the afternoon. I wished I’d brought my laptop or ipad2 so that I could whip it out and look like a major douche. I was hoping no one asked me who I was and what I did. Thankfully, no one did.
About twenty minutes after I’d eaten a piece of chocolate cake I really wish I hadn’t (only bloggers eat at these things – Hollywood types never do, which is why they are so thin and we are, well, not) a group of us were brought into the room where Gosling would be joining us. A round table, interestingly enough, and a sound guy were there – I was in last so I didn’t get a seat next to Gosling, but across from him would have to do.
A minute or so later Gosling came in – there was recording instruments all pointed at him like a firing squad. He flinched a little at this but was also ready to roll with it. He was dressed casually, but looked like he does on screen except a little bit taller. He answered our questions, I thought, honestly, without giving us canned responses. I don’t know if this is because we were the first group or because that’s how he is in interviews. He was more forthcoming with us than he’d been in Cannes with Michelle Williams at his side, that’s because he seemed, then, protective of her.
And his protectiveness came through during our roundtable. When an older female reporter (I am “older” too so I don’t consider this an insult but just to help you understand the scenario) tried to get a word in edgewise but was about to get trampled, Gosling put a hand on her shoulder and said “wait, she hasn’t gotten to answer a question yet.” At that moment, even the windows of the Four Seasons melted a little in their frames.
Yeah, this is celebrity worship at its absolute worst, as we are wont to do, but just to say that you can’t really avoid such a reaction him — it’s just not possible, I’m afraid.
So here is the audio of that rountable – I think you will be surprised at how candid and interesting Gosling’s answers are.
Interesting interview! Hope he gets to do lots more interesting movies. Loved him in “Lars and the Real Girl” and “Blue Valentine” Great actor who also seems to be smart and polite. Cant wait to see “Drive”.
Interesting interview! Hope he gets to do lots more interesting movies. Loved him in “Lars and the Real Girl” and “Blue Valentine” Great actor who also seems to be smart and polite. Cant wait to see “Drive”.
jams, and anyone else complaining about the swooning,
Why is that such a big deal? It’s nice to have fun sometimes. Everything doesn’t always have to be sterile and academic. The fact is you generally don’t have too many unattractive people in films because you have to look at them. Movies are motion pictures. Back in the day they didn’t even have sound. (Sound was reserved for the ugly people in radio.) So you just looked at them. And come on, wouldn’t we all rather look at something pretty than ugly? It’s just human nature. And going to the movies is all about being human.
I have no problem admitting that I enjoy the high gloss of the cinema. When they were casting the Sam Raimi Spider-man movies I remember commenting on the cast with this sentence: “If I wanted to see normal people, I’d go to the mall.” And it’s true. I like movie stars. I like beautiful people. Most of the time they are one and the same. Is that bad? Is it superficial? When I go to the movies I want to see beauty. If the person ripping my ticket looks like crap, that’s just fine. Real life is horrible, that’s why it’s strewn with zits and cowlicks. But film can give you a world that doesn’t really exist. I’ve never been one for movies with gritty realism. Who needs it? I can get it for free 8 days a week by looking out the window.
Now Drive, the movie in question, is all about style. Huge chunks of the movie are close ups of Ryan Gosling’s face. If I wanted to I could have counted and named all of his eyelashes. He spent a great deal of the film posing like Steve McQueen or the Marlboro Man. You’re supposed to stare at him and be taken in by the classic cool he and the film evoke. If you’re partial to that sort of thing it’s very easy to get swept away. And on top of that this is the kind of film that stays with you. So if you close your eyes you can still see images from the film hours and even days afterward. So we come on the internet, we think of the film, and being humans who have seen such a stylish picture our comments are about images and how someone looks. I think it goes hand in hand with appreciating art. Cinema is an art form, isn’t it? What if the Mona Lisa had a huge booger? Would it be as beloved? I think (s) not.
jams, and anyone else complaining about the swooning,
Why is that such a big deal? It’s nice to have fun sometimes. Everything doesn’t always have to be sterile and academic. The fact is you generally don’t have too many unattractive people in films because you have to look at them. Movies are motion pictures. Back in the day they didn’t even have sound. (Sound was reserved for the ugly people in radio.) So you just looked at them. And come on, wouldn’t we all rather look at something pretty than ugly? It’s just human nature. And going to the movies is all about being human.
I have no problem admitting that I enjoy the high gloss of the cinema. When they were casting the Sam Raimi Spider-man movies I remember commenting on the cast with this sentence: “If I wanted to see normal people, I’d go to the mall.” And it’s true. I like movie stars. I like beautiful people. Most of the time they are one and the same. Is that bad? Is it superficial? When I go to the movies I want to see beauty. If the person ripping my ticket looks like crap, that’s just fine. Real life is horrible, that’s why it’s strewn with zits and cowlicks. But film can give you a world that doesn’t really exist. I’ve never been one for movies with gritty realism. Who needs it? I can get it for free 8 days a week by looking out the window.
Now Drive, the movie in question, is all about style. Huge chunks of the movie are close ups of Ryan Gosling’s face. If I wanted to I could have counted and named all of his eyelashes. He spent a great deal of the film posing like Steve McQueen or the Marlboro Man. You’re supposed to stare at him and be taken in by the classic cool he and the film evoke. If you’re partial to that sort of thing it’s very easy to get swept away. And on top of that this is the kind of film that stays with you. So if you close your eyes you can still see images from the film hours and even days afterward. So we come on the internet, we think of the film, and being humans who have seen such a stylish picture our comments are about images and how someone looks. I think it goes hand in hand with appreciating art. Cinema is an art form, isn’t it? What if the Mona Lisa had a huge booger? Would it be as beloved? I think (s) not.
Thank you for your report, Sasha. I really like Ryan and I’m anxious to see Drive, but I think will debut next year in my country.
Thank you for your report, Sasha. I really like Ryan and I’m anxious to see Drive, but I think will debut next year in my country.
Love Ryan Gosling …have for years. After years …starting to hate this site. Fudgy Squares…really??? Just a few years ago there never would have been an entry like this (and many others)….unless it was being laughed at and ridiculed from another site! I soooooooooooooo miss what it used to be!! I yearn for the days when this site/blog was called by the other name and it focused on the best movies/performances of the year…..not the “chosen movie”. And by “chosen movie” I mean the actor/produce/ director/ film fest etc etc that gave the best…party… time …interview…gifts.
I’ll do myself a favor and try to only check the tracker on the side. Maybe …hopefully… I can break my creature of habit traits and just find another site.
Nevertheless… I miss you Oscarwatch and the early years of AwardsDaily…..before you were, made generic, a bit annoying, taken over and overall washed out by the glittery limelight of Hollywood! *SAD Sigh*
Love Ryan Gosling …have for years. After years …starting to hate this site. Fudgy Squares…really??? Just a few years ago there never would have been an entry like this (and many others)….unless it was being laughed at and ridiculed from another site! I soooooooooooooo miss what it used to be!! I yearn for the days when this site/blog was called by the other name and it focused on the best movies/performances of the year…..not the “chosen movie”. And by “chosen movie” I mean the actor/produce/ director/ film fest etc etc that gave the best…party… time …interview…gifts.
I’ll do myself a favor and try to only check the tracker on the side. Maybe …hopefully… I can break my creature of habit traits and just find another site.
Nevertheless… I miss you Oscarwatch and the early years of AwardsDaily…..before you were, made generic, a bit annoying, taken over and overall washed out by the glittery limelight of Hollywood! *SAD Sigh*
Ha, the Gosling gets everyone to swoon! 😉 And this has to be one of the very very few celeb gushing posts (and very restraint at that) I’ve ever read on here in all these years. Love it, it was interesting to read about the whole roundtable experience.
I think Gosling is at a place in his career where Jake Gyllenhaal wants to be (and tried to get to by pretending to date Taylor Swift). I love Ryan and I hope the hype won’t turn into annoying over-presence.
Ha, the Gosling gets everyone to swoon! 😉 And this has to be one of the very very few celeb gushing posts (and very restraint at that) I’ve ever read on here in all these years. Love it, it was interesting to read about the whole roundtable experience.
I think Gosling is at a place in his career where Jake Gyllenhaal wants to be (and tried to get to by pretending to date Taylor Swift). I love Ryan and I hope the hype won’t turn into annoying over-presence.
LOVE this article, Sasha! Nobody ever writes ABOUT a roundtable. I don’t do them any more. I want the star to come in and sit down and talk to me(albeit on camera) like a normal human being. I got some divine five minutes or so with Ryan about “Blue Valentine” around Christmas. And he’s exactly as Sasha describes him, only SEXIER! And guess what? He’s STILL the #1 vote getter or hit gatherer or just plane #1 on my You Tube channel!
Was SUPPOSED to get him in a junket for “Drive” in NY, and then in Toronto and then in NY and whoops! The film’s opened already! And so it goes…
The Business of Show.
LOVE this article, Sasha! Nobody ever writes ABOUT a roundtable. I don’t do them any more. I want the star to come in and sit down and talk to me(albeit on camera) like a normal human being. I got some divine five minutes or so with Ryan about “Blue Valentine” around Christmas. And he’s exactly as Sasha describes him, only SEXIER! And guess what? He’s STILL the #1 vote getter or hit gatherer or just plane #1 on my You Tube channel!
Was SUPPOSED to get him in a junket for “Drive” in NY, and then in Toronto and then in NY and whoops! The film’s opened already! And so it goes…
The Business of Show.
@The Other Mike. You’re obviously new to this site, otherwise you’d know that Sasha most certainly does not base her judgments about a film on the appearance of the actors. However, she’s also a human being with sexual desires like the rest of us, and she can certainly express her attraction to someone if she likes, especially on her own blog.
@The Other Mike. You’re obviously new to this site, otherwise you’d know that Sasha most certainly does not base her judgments about a film on the appearance of the actors. However, she’s also a human being with sexual desires like the rest of us, and she can certainly express her attraction to someone if she likes, especially on her own blog.
he’s also a big goofball. Watch him on Ellen.
he’s also a big goofball. Watch him on Ellen.
Thanks for the M3! I’m not surprised at the quality of Gosling’s answers and comments. The man must have an incredibly high I.Q. because he comes up with original and spontaneous content constantly. Go to YouTube and watch his recent interviews with Letterman, Kimmel and Fallen.
Thanks for the M3! I’m not surprised at the quality of Gosling’s answers and comments. The man must have an incredibly high I.Q. because he comes up with original and spontaneous content constantly. Go to YouTube and watch his recent interviews with Letterman, Kimmel and Fallen.
Yeah, a friend’s daughter, who works for PEOPLE, got to interview him not long ago. Great experience. Her mom and I were jealous for days.
Yeah, a friend’s daughter, who works for PEOPLE, got to interview him not long ago. Great experience. Her mom and I were jealous for days.
So basically if a dude is good-looking Sasha is gonna like his film. I wonder if it was Steve buscemi if she would like this movie.
So basically if a dude is good-looking Sasha is gonna like his film. I wonder if it was Steve buscemi if she would like this movie.
The more people push his trite, overly practiced personality on me, the more annoying I find him (as a person, not an actor).
The more people push his trite, overly practiced personality on me, the more annoying I find him (as a person, not an actor).
Were any of the fudgy squares penuche? Could you see his clavicles? I don’t think I would have been able to handle the combination. XD
This was very interesting. Thanks for sharing. (spoilers) I knew watching the film that the one scene reminded me of something but couldn’t put my finger on it (Irreversible). It was also interesting that he himself called the character a psychopath. At first I thought he just had Asperger’s but then when he got more violent, I figured that guess needed some adjustment.
Were any of the fudgy squares penuche? Could you see his clavicles? I don’t think I would have been able to handle the combination. XD
This was very interesting. Thanks for sharing. (spoilers) I knew watching the film that the one scene reminded me of something but couldn’t put my finger on it (Irreversible). It was also interesting that he himself called the character a psychopath. At first I thought he just had Asperger’s but then when he got more violent, I figured that guess needed some adjustment.
Thank you sooooo much, Sasha. This is terrific. He is a really bright guy and it’s interesting to hear how involved he really was in the making of the movie. I’m even more impressed with him than I was and I didn’t think that was possible.
Thank you sooooo much, Sasha. This is terrific. He is a really bright guy and it’s interesting to hear how involved he really was in the making of the movie. I’m even more impressed with him than I was and I didn’t think that was possible.
Swooooooooooon…
Swooooooooooon…
That sounds like a great experience. I had a similar one this week when I had the opportunity to do a roundtable with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez (traveling around to promote ‘The Way’). It was a little bit of a grounding experience as I often criticize movie sites that seem to praise every movie and get invited by studios to star-packed events and super advanced screenings. How can you criticize a movie when screen legend Martin Sheen is enthusiastically talking about the passion that he had for the project and how personal it was for him?
It was an amazing experience and I will admit I sneaked in one question about ‘Badlands’ for Sheen and one question about ‘The Mighty Ducks’ for Estevez.
That sounds like a great experience. I had a similar one this week when I had the opportunity to do a roundtable with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez (traveling around to promote ‘The Way’). It was a little bit of a grounding experience as I often criticize movie sites that seem to praise every movie and get invited by studios to star-packed events and super advanced screenings. How can you criticize a movie when screen legend Martin Sheen is enthusiastically talking about the passion that he had for the project and how personal it was for him?
It was an amazing experience and I will admit I sneaked in one question about ‘Badlands’ for Sheen and one question about ‘The Mighty Ducks’ for Estevez.
You lucky lucky lucky duck. I won’t say more for fear of making an utter fool of myself’
You lucky lucky lucky duck. I won’t say more for fear of making an utter fool of myself’