Ryan Gosling on Derek Cianfrance: ‘He is unlike any other director I have worked with’
After Ryan Gosling found fame for his portrayal of the swoon-worthy Noah in The Notebook, it seemed like he was on track to become one of Hollywood’s go-to romantic leads. In some ways, he did. He would star as a flirty philanderer in Crazy, Stupid, Love, as the tap-dancing lead of La La Land, and as Barbie’s long-term long-distance low-commitment boyfriend. But he also carved out a space for himself in the independent realm.
Between rom-coms, Gosling endeared himself to film buffs with appearances in gritty thrillers like Drive, big-budget sci-fis like Blade Runner 2049, and off-kilter comedies like The Nice Guys, resisting typecasting at every turn. He’s played an action star, an astronaut, a failing musician, a sleazy salesman, and everything in between. Along the way, he has also collected an impressive list of directorial collaborations.
Gosling has worked with some of the biggest and brightest names in the business, from ambitious blockbuster aficionado Denis Villeneuve to indie-favourite-turned-Barbie-director Greta Gerwig to neon light enthusiast Nicolas Winding Refn, but there is one filmmaker who he considers to be incomparable to the rest: Derek Cianfrance. While speaking with Pop Entertainment, Gosling described him as “unlike any other director I have worked with.”
Gosling first worked with Cianfrance in 2010 on Blue Valentine, a realist romance which paired the star with Michelle Williams. Though Gosling had starred in romance flicks before, he hadn’t taken on anything quite as gritty and genuine as Blue Valentine, which provided a look at the breakdown of a relationship through flashbacks.
Clearly enamoured with Cianfrance’s style of filmmaking, Gosling worked with him again just two years later. In 2012, he took on a role in The Place Beyond the Pines alongside a star-studded cast featuring Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Mahershala Ali. This project further cemented Gosling’s love for Cianfrance’s approach to directing, particularly with his ability to make films feel naturalistic.
“It’s hard to explain the amount of effort it takes for him to make a film that feels so effortless,” Gosling gushed, “Although his filmmaking is cinematic and beautiful it’s also kind of invisible.” The star praised his ability to remove the camera from view for those in front of the camera and for those seated in the cinema.
“He tees it up for the actors to be natural because he puts so much work into the environment,” Gosling concluded. This certainly seems like the ideal environment for an actor. The knowledge that the cameras are rolling, the intimidating presence of your fellow cast and crew, can infringe upon the quality of a performance, making it feel fake or forced. With Cianfrance’s attempts to remove those pressures, Gosling and his stars could immerse themselves in their roles.
This process certainly came across in the end product. The Place Beyond the Pines excelled in its performances and in how natural and raw they came across on-screen. Between tender scenes with Mendes’ Romina and exhilarating action scenes, Gosling entirely embodied the bleach-blonde-haired, tattooed Luke.
Cianfrance may not be the most widely known or praised director in Gosling’s catalogue, but he is one of the rawest. Their work together proves that Gosling is capable of far more than big-budget toybox adaptations and epic romances, showing off a much more naturalistic side to his acting skill.
