Ryan Gosling Q&A
The doting dadof-two is a big softie at heart
Ryan Gosling is one of the most lusted-after stars on the planet. But as far as he’s concerned, only three ladies matter – his partner Eva Mendes, daughter Esmeralda, 20 months, and her new sister Amada, four weeks.
“It’s heaven,” Ryan says of life with his three special girls.
“It’s like walking through a field of flowers every day. I live with angels.”
Ryan, 35, and Eva, 42, kept their second pregnancy a secret until after Amada was born on April 29. But while the couple are notoriously private, the actor has opened up about their new family life in this exclusive interview with Woman’s Day. Fittingly, Ryan is currently starring with Aussie Russell Crowe in the hit new comedy The Nice Guys . It seems he really is the nicest man in Hollywood.
You seem to be indulging your comic sensibilities again, with The Big Short and now in The Nice Guys … Yes, I enjoy doing comedies. I loved doing The Nice Guys and working with Russell.
Is comedy a genre that comes easily to you? I did some comedies earlier in my career and it came to me pretty naturally. I’m comfortable doing those kinds of movies. Sometimes I can get into a frame of mind where I want to do very dark and intense stories – then it’s nice to do lighter stuff.
You’ve done some romantic comedies in the past, such as Crazy, Stupid, Love . Would you consider doing another? If a good script came along, yeah. I like the feeling you get from watching a good romantic comedy. It puts you in a mood where you really understand how irresistible love can be. We all do the wildest and craziest things when we’re in love or looking for it, even though it can take you to some very high and very low emotional places.
Does being a dad make you focus on the lighter side? I think so. I’ve never had as much enjoyment as I’ve had being a dad – though I’ve never slept so little in my life! I don’t think I’d have wanted to do a very dark film during the past year. It would have been hard getting into that mood then coming home to laugh and play with my daughters.
Has fatherhood changed you? I don’t know. I always wanted a child, and not having had a dad present when I was growing up, I’m probably trying harder to be the best father possible. I’m very lucky to be with such a wonderful woman and have such a wonderful family.
You grew up with a single mum and a sister. Now you have more women in your life… I love women, I love being surrounded by women. Most important of all right now is being a good father, and keeping our little family happy and healthy. When you believe in something so passionately, everything becomes a pleasure.
Have you learnt Spanish since you met Eva, who’s of Cuban descent? Un poquito! My accent is not bad, but my vocabulary is still pretty limited. I’m lucky that Eva is very patient with me. I always tell her, if she ever got really mad at me – it hasn’t happened, yet, honestly – that she should yell at me in Spanish. That way I could never get angry back, because I wouldn’t be able to understand anything she was saying!
How do you spend your time? I love cooking and going out to eat with Eva. When I’m cooking, I try to vary the menu as much as possible. I own a Moroccan restaurant called Tagine in Beverly Hills, and one of my favourite meals is lamb and couscous in honey sauce.
You got your break at 13 in The Mickey Mouse Club, where you described your time as being fairly wild and mischievous. Was that your nature? I was always looking for trouble, and I was even actually called “Trouble.” I suffered from ADHD and I had a lot of difficulty with socialising. I had no friends and I hated being a kid. I couldn’t wait to get older and become an adult. I think that’s one reason I wanted to be an actor – just so that I could have a job and find something that would give me a different kind of life.
Did your time on The Mickey Mouse Club change you? I had the best time on the show. It was the first time that I made friends and felt normal. I also got to work and hang out with Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
How did you spend your first serious pay check? I bought a house for my mother – and I paid for it with cash! My mum had spent so much of her life constantly moving from one apartment to another with me and my sister that it gave me so much joy to be able to do that for her. You can’t imagine how happy that made me!