“It’s always the right time” to watch ‘Step Brothers’, according to Ryan Gosling
When trying to dive into the minds of cultural icons, it can be easy to forget that underneath the glitz and glamour is usually a normal persona with influences, inspiration, and, of course, favourites. During the promotion of his megawatt action flick The Gray Man, Ryan Gosling sat down with Netflix to share a host of his favourite things about cinema and movies.
While he picked out some of his favourite stars (Bruce Lee, the legendary martial movie star) as well as his favourite lines from a movie (an ad-libbed line from JK Simmons on La La Land the hits perfectly), perhaps the most interesting moment came when he was asked to pick two of his favourite movies of all time.
The answers revolved around a pivotal duality that all cinephiles will likely face in their lives. Pitching what you tell people is your favourite film ever made against the actual movie that you’d consider to be your favourite in the privacy of your own home. With bleached blonde hair, ready for his turn as Ken in the upcoming Greta Gerwig imagining of Barbie, Gosling shared his guilty pleasure movie.
Having had a successful run within the Disney machine, Gosling rose to prominence after performing in films such as The Notebook, Blue Valentine, and Half-Nelson, before branching into the action genre. Gosling took the lead in 2011’s Drive, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, as well as Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner: 2049, both to much acclaim, cementing him as a solid leading actor in the action genre.
Using his experience in indie cinema, Gosling brings nuanced, complex performances to the genre, which is often bogged down with forgettable, throwaway movies. It made his brilliant effort in the action genre, The Gray Man, all the more brilliant as he added dry humour and quiet menace to what could have easily become an extremely dull blockbuster. But, when asked what his public favourite film of all time was and what his private favourite was, Gosling showed himself to not only be an action star but a lover of cinema altogether.
“I feel like, you know, you tell people that your favourite movie is On The Waterfront,” explained Gosling, picking out the classic Hollywood picture, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint, the latter making her film debut. The film exposes how American institutions are controlled and compromised by nefarious forces, chronicling the violent activities and corruption on the waterfront. It ended up garnering 12 Academy Award nominations, and it won in eight categories.
However, such acclaim doesn’t make much difference to Gosling as he notes that another picture is far more worthy of his continued affection, the Will Ferrell comedy classic Step Brothers. “It’s really Step Brothers,” noted Gosling when speaking with Netflix. “I could always watch Will Ferrell and John C. You could be in a bad place in your life or a great place in your life; it’s always the right time.” When told that he isn’t the first star to have picked the title for his favourite, he confidently responds, “I’m sure. And I won’t be the last.”
So, there you have it. Ask Ryan Gosling for his favourite filming in a public setting, and he may provide you with an arthouse flick or a golden age Hollywood classic; ask him again in private, and he’ll always head straight for Step Brothers.
