In his more than 30-year career, Ryan Gosling has played both iconic characters and real people, from Ken to Neil Armstrong to Ryland Grace in the newly released film adaptation of Andy Weir’s hit sci-fi novel Project Hail Mary. As critics rave about the film itself and Gosling’s performance, here are his 10 best performances to date.
10. The Ides of March (2011)
While the George Clooney-directed political thriller, The Ides of March, has its share of shortcomings, Gosling’s performance is not one of them. He plays junior campaign manager Stephen Meyers, who oozes charisma and is himself constantly giving a performance. Gosling really dials up the charm for this role, which is a necessity for a character described in the film as able to “play [reporters] like the pieces on a chessboard and make it look effortless.”
However, the thing that elevates this performance from good to great comes later, as Meyers’ facade begins to crack, revealing a more devious edge to his ambition as his career is threatened. Gosling absolutely dominates the screen, and the extended final shot features an impressive piece of silent acting that seals this role’s spot among his best performances.
9. Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
By 2007, most moviegoers would recognize Gosling as the handsome leading man from The Notebook (2004) or from his Oscar-nominated performance in Half Nelson (2006). With those primary reference points, Lars and the Real Girl may seem like an odd choice for him. However, it’s precisely that decision to pivot slightly from his developing onscreen persona that makes this performance a standout, and one that sets him up for the rest of his career to contain as much range as it does.
Protagonist Lars Lindstrom is awkward but lovable, and he struggles to fit in with his peers, his community, and even his own family. Gosling changes up his look a bit for this role, but he’s still recognizable as himself. In the years that followed, he’d take on more roles that allowed him to alter his appearance to fit the characters, and his willingness to do so helps to highlight his range.
Lars and the Real Girl is an incredibly earnest and heartfelt film, and it soars with Gosling at the center of it all. Although comedic and playful in tone, the film doesn’t shy away from the genuine hardships that Lars has and continues to endure, and Gosling doesn’t, either. The result is poignant, whereas a performance by a lesser actor would be cheesy. Both Gosling and the film portray Lars not as a laughingstock, but as a beloved and essential member of his community.
8. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner sequel marked Gosling’s first franchise role, and his only one up until the announcement of his casting in the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, which is scheduled to release next year. Here, the strength of Gosling’s portrayal of the blade runner called K is that he simultaneously makes it entirely his own while also giving a performance that fits seamlessly into the existing Blade Runner world. Few actors could give a performance that feels worthy of standing alongside Harrison Ford’s iconic performance in the original film, but Gosling lives up to the task.
K is one of Gosling’s more emotional roles, although so many of the things his character feels have to be internalized by the nature of his situation. This is another role that requires a lot of silent acting, but unlike films such as Drive (2011) and Only God Forgives (2013), where that silence feels like a display of strength and confidence, in this case, it seems to conceal a deep sadness within this character. Gosling reminds us of one of his greatest skills: how expressive he can be with just his eyes. His performance carries this film to an emotional climax and a devastating final shot of Gosling.
7. The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
Gosling had previously collaborated with The Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance in 2010 on his film Blue Valentine, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. That performance was a tough exclusion from this list, as Gosling is incredible in his portrayal of one half of the struggling marriage between Dean and Cindy (Michelle Williams). However, his performance in The Place Beyond the Pines is remarkable for how much he accomplishes with comparatively little screen time.
His character, Luke Glanton, owns the first hour of the film. Gosling pulls the audience in with his intensity and the range of emotions he captures in just this time. He plays the internalized emotions subtly, but he also gets big and explosive as the character’s desperation and erraticism grow.
Additionally, the palpable chemistry between Gosling and Eva Mendes, his now wife, gives this performance a bit of extra magic. This role is like a firecracker that lights up fast and bright right off the bat, only to be extinguished just as quickly. You then feel the heavy weight of Luke’s (and therefore Gosling’s) absence over the rest of the film, which allows the final two acts to achieve their intended emotional effect.
6. Drive (2011)
Nicolas Winding Refn’s film Drive is a feat of visual storytelling, and Gosling more than rises to the occasion with his largely silent portrayal of the film’s protagonist, an unnamed stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. This character is intimidating and has a certain darkness about him, but there is also warmth. His scenes with his neighbor and love interest, Irene (Carey Mulligan), are filled with tension that sparks from the way Gosling looks at her. It’s remarkable how much this performance convinces the audience to care about a character with very little dialogue or backstory to work off of.
5. La La Land (2016)
La La Land is an important film in Gosling’s filmography for a number of reasons. It’s his third collaboration with Emma Stone, after Crazy, Stupid, Love. in 2011 and Gangster Squad in 2013. It’s his first collaboration with director Damien Chazelle before going on to star in his 2018 Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man (another tough cut from this list). It also earns him his second Oscar nomination and first Golden Globe win. In addition to these facts, it’s also one of Gosling’s best performances.
He plays Sebastian Wilder, a struggling jazz musician who falls in love with aspiring actress Amelia Dolan (Stone). The role has a lot for Gosling to really dig in on and flex his acting muscles, and his established chemistry with Stone, along with the overall quality of the film, provides a strong foundation for him to excel. He gets to sing and dance, remind people of why he’s one of our favorite romantic leads, and also show off his emotional range with a character who has his share of ups and downs. La La Land still allows Gosling to display his showmanship, but he inhabits the role so fully that you forget you’re watching a movie star giving a performance, and instead become invested in Seb as his own person.
4. The Nice Guys (2016)
Between La La Land and The Nice Guys, 2016 is a career highlight year for Gosling. And while La La Land is some of his best dramatic work, his performance in The Nice Guys is an absolute comedic tour de force. He makes choices with both his line deliveries and physical comedy that I’ve never seen an actor make before or since. His scruffier, disheveled appearance is a different look that we’d seen from him up to this point, and his willingness to be the butt of the joke onscreen and play things larger than life is part of why he’s one of the greats. He works perfectly alongside Russell Crowe, and the two have a comedic chemistry that still has me begging for a sequel a full 10 years later. The range Gosling displayed between his two film roles in 2016 is what sets him up for what is the most interesting phase of his career so far.
3. Project Hail Mary (2026)
Those who had read Andy Weir’s novel prior to Gosling’s casting know that there has rarely been a better match between an actor and a character. Science teacher turned astronaut Ryland Grace is the perfect blend of lovable, self-deprecating, funny, upbeat, and emotional, which is Gosling’s sweet spot. He nails every comedic beat and every emotional one, and his chemistry with both his co-star Sandra Hüller and his new alien friend Rocky (voiced and puppeteered by James Ortiz) is off the charts.
He spends a good portion of this film completely alone on his spaceship, and it’s Gosling’s knack for pure entertainment that makes those scenes just as compelling and enjoyable to watch. Gosling continues to establish himself as one of our best comedic actors while also keeping hold of his ability to access his characters’ emotions so quickly and effortlessly onscreen, a blend of talents that makes him an ideal movie star for big-budget crowd-pleasers like Project Hail Mary, as well as 2024 action-comedy The Fall Guy (which gets an honorable mention on this list), and of course Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar-grossing Barbie (2023).
2. Half Nelson (2006)
It has been 20 years since Gosling gave this performance that earned him his first Oscar nomination, but it still stands as one of his absolute best. He plays a middle school teacher named Dan Dunne, struggling with addiction, who grows closer to one of his students after she mistakenly discovers his drug use.
Although some of Dan’s behavior may be immature, this role marks the turning point at which Gosling transitions into adult roles. He is no longer playing students or young men, and instead, he now plays the other side of the dynamic. Combined with the Oscar nomination he earns, this role establishes Gosling as a more mature actor, and it sets him up to take on projects such as Blue Valentine, Drive, and The Ides of March.
Gosling completely disappears into his performance as Dan, which is grounded, emotional, and even difficult to watch at times, but he never overplays it. He displays impressive control over his expressions, line deliveries, and the way he carries himself, which would be impressive for an actor of any age, but especially one who was only 26 at the time.
1. Barbie (2023)
If Gosling’s first Oscar nomination commends his restraint, then his third nomination for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie appreciates his willingness to go all out and take big swings. In the case of Barbie, those big swings more than pay off, and what results is a scene-stealing knockout of a performance that is both critically acclaimed and permeated pop culture in the form of internet jokes, Halloween costumes, and his character’s big musical number, “I’m Just Ken,” debuting on the Billboard Hot 100.
Beyond how instantly iconic Gosling’s portrayal of Ken became, it’s also a masterclass in performance and his best acting work to date. He absolutely commands the screen, and he embraces both the goofiness and the earnestness of the role without an ounce of hesitation or embarrassment. What makes the character particularly interesting is his lack of self-awareness within a film that’s greatest strength is its self-awareness.
Ken often serves as the counterpoint to the film’s messages and morals, and the energy of this performance comes from the fact that Gosling only goes bigger and bigger as the film goes on, while his character’s behavior becomes increasingly unacceptable and frowned upon by the film itself. It’s a perfect blend of his showmanship, comedic talent, and raw emotional acting that elevates this from a silly supporting role to a character and a performance that people will continue to talk about for a long time. It’s a perfect encapsulation of everything that we love about him as a performer.
List Courtesy of Claire May Lewis
Feature Image Credit to Amazon MGM via IMDb