11 Ways Ryan Gosling Is Secretly More Of An Offbeat Hero Than You Realized

While chatting with Steve Carell for Interview Magazine in 2010, Gosling revealed he was part of an Elvis Presley tribute band at the tender age of 8. The group, fronted by his uncle Perry, was called Elvis Perry.

The future actor performed in the wedding band, though it wasn't in a traditional fashion. Gosling explained:

I was head of security, so I had to wear a big gold lamé jacket that said "Elvis Perry Security" on it. My uncle would take scarves off from around his neck and hand them to ladies in the audience, so part of my job was to hand him new scarves, and then also to make sure that the ladies didn’t get too hands-y.

Even though infinite superhero roles exist, Gosling has never been able to break into the MCU or DCEU - but that doesn't mean he hasn't been considered. According to The Hollywood Reporter, when Zack Snyder was prepping for Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, he reached out to Gosling to appear as the Dark Knight, but that Gosling balked at the number of sequels. 

Around the same time, Gosling was being considered for the role of Doctor Strange. The MCU was so close to reaching out to him that they even worked his face into some concept art as the Sorcerer Supreme. Artist Court Chu posted the images on his blog.

In a 2015 interview with The Daily Telegraph, Gosling discussed how hard it was to watch his mother date when he was in his early teens. The actor felt very protective of his mother, who he described as "very beautiful." He said:

As a young man, all men felt like wolves, and there was a very threatening, predatory tone to the world in general, not just to specific people. It felt like life could become a nightmare at any second.

While being interviewed by Steve Carell for Interview magazine in 2010, Gosling revealed himself to be a proud Canadian: 

I loved growing up in Canada. It’s a great place to grow up, because - well, at least where I grew up - it’s very multicultural. There’s also good health care and a good education system. 

Gosling spent his childhood watching Gene Wilder movies, like Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (*But Were Afraid to Ask) and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and his viewing habits ingrained in him a strange comic sensibility.

He told Steve Carell during a discussion for Interview magazine:

I feel like Gene Wilder is my Marlon Brando or something. He just presents you with an array of emotions and leaves it up to you to decide. You know, when he played Willy Wonka, there was always something slightly terrifying and angry and sadistic about that character, all of which you would imagine might take away from the magic of it. But there was something about how he played it that let you see how this guy living alone in this place.

Some super famous actors buy boats, others become pilots - but Gosling isn't your standard celebrity. In his free time, he likes to go to Disneyland, sometimes by himself, sometimes on dates, and sometimes with his friend Guillermo del Toro. 

Why does Gosling love Disneyland and Disney World so much? He says it's where he came of age. He told Esquire in 2011:

I’m grateful. That place was a landscape to me. I had adventures every day. Backstage at Disney World, there are stories. Mickey Mouse with his head off, drinking coffee on break. Pirates on the phone. Ghosts in line for food. It just made me see things.