“I rolled my eyes”: the beloved TV series that rejected Ryan Gosling
It’s not often that someone as A-list as Ryan Gosling holds such a strong streak in Hollywood – especially when he’s also made some bold choices when it comes to personal projects, including his recent stint on SNL.
However, that’s precisely one of the reasons why he gets away with almost anything. Aside from being that quietly confident personal type that Hollywood – and the internet – absolutely adores, Gosling is also pretty damn good at anything he sets his mind to, even if it’s something as corny and unbearable as America’s most beloved sketch comedy television show.
All things considered, Gosling’s evolution both as an actor and an influential cultural figure is pretty impressive. After all, he went from being something of a gimmick, starting on the Disney Channel before taking on a handful of leading-man roles, to becoming one of the most sought-after and versatile actors of our entire generation.
And, of course, it helps that he also appears to be someone who doesn’t take himself or his career too seriously. And also why we – as audiences – don’t hold it against him when certain projects don’t do that well. For instance, like many of his peers, Gosling has had his share of so-called “flops”. But what’s important about those is that, considering his other achievements and milestones, it doesn’t even really matter to him all that much.
It also says a lot that early reviews of his latest movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s sci-fi adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel, Project Hail Mary, cite Gosling’s charm as the film’s anchor, and the main reason why its themes and messages hit just as they’re supposed to, much like any other major Hollywood epic with his name attached to it.
Gosling has that effect, just as he always has. Well, not always. Actually, like many respectable actors, Gosling has had to put in the work to get to where he is now, which also means enduring some of the more inevitable mishaps of trying to make it in a competitive field. While it may not seem like Gosling faces rejections now and then, he, like everybody else, has endured auditions where it’s just not meant to be.
For instance, a lesser-known fact about Gosling is that he could have been cast in the beloved American comedy series Gilmore Girls alongside the coffee-loving, pop culture fiends Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. However, despite backing from the casting director, Jami Rudofsky, at the time, it seemed as though he absolutely blew it.
As Rudosky recalled during the show’s Fan Festival in Connecticut in 2016, Gosling could have been seen as “the one that got away”, even though he showed up late to his initial audition. She thought he might have been a good fit for “a football character”, but when she invited him to audition in front of the other casting directors, he fell flat, leaving the others wondering if she had been out of her mind during their first encounter.
Still, in hindsight, such mishaps don’t really matter when it comes to his successes elsewhere. And, as we know, Gosling eventually went on to prove his capabilities in other spaces, becoming one of the industry’s most diverse figures who isn’t afraid to poke fun at himself in the process.
