A Ken-tastic Evening for Ryan Gosling at Santa Barbara International Film Festival Fundraiser

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been quite as happy as when I’ve seen him act. That’s just my whole soul on display in the guise of a male actor playing a doll,” effused Barbie director Greta Gerwig, as she presented her star Ryan Gosling with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film — a fundraiser for SBIFF’s numerous educational  programs —  at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara on Saturday, January 13.

With characteristic wit and warmth, Gosling accepted the honor, still somewhat dazed that his role in Barbie as “a 70-year-old crotchless doll” would lead him to this moment. While the evening’s focus was naturally on his most recent cinematic role, it was also an impressive look back at the actor’s impressively varied career, which includes Academy Award nominations for his work in Half Nelson and La La Land.

His films have earned an incredible $1.9 billion worldwide, said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling of the 43-year-old actor’s incredible success. Gosling’s diverse filmography also includes acclaimed films such as Blue Valentine, Drive, Lars and the Real Girl, The Big Short, Blade Runner 2049, and The Notebook.

Steve Carell — his memorable co-star in Crazy, Stupid, Love — offered a funny and moving speech to honor Gosling that began, “Ryan Gosling is a delightful guy. He is polite; he tends to keep to himself; he is professional. But that’s not why we’re all here tonight. Tonight, I want to ask the question, ‘Why do I hate Ryan Gosling?’”

He went on to say that “some people find him moderately handsome,” and that “time after time, he makes interesting creative choices. He’s not driven by money, or fame, or status. What a fucking asshole.”

Carrell spoke hilariously of Gosling’s kindness: “Did you know that he once saved a woman from being hit by a taxi? Saved a dog from being run over on the highway? … Did you know that the only reason we know that he did any of these things is because someone saw him? Ryan Gosling doesn’t advertise his good deeds.” 

He continued, “I do love Ryan Gosling. I love him more than my wife. He is smart and intuitive and funny, he is a joy to be around, and, most of all, and this is a big one for me, he is kind. Santa Barbara, you got this one right.”

That sentiment was threaded throughout the night. Gerwig spoke eloquently of working with Gosling and how he elevates everyone around him. “There’s a thing in poker where to keep playing, everyone has to put in more chips. And that’s what it’s like working with Ryan Gosling. If you want to keep playing, you better ante up.”

She spoke about how, as the father of two daughters, Gosling immediately recognized the importance and the underlying seriousness of what she wanted to do with the Barbie film. “From the moment we started talking, he just understood. … There would be no Barbie if he hadn’t come to be our Ken.”

She continued, “It was a commitment beyond anything I could have dreamed. … As time went on, I realized I didn’t need to caveat anything. He knew it was important. With his total commitment to Barbie, he’s saying this is important. He’s co-signing this importance by his commitment and his presence and his art.”

She also described him as having “such a delicious and totally unexpected combination of genius. He has the burning intensity of Marlon Brando, the tragic realism of Montgomery Clift, the virtuosic slickness of John Travolta, the sly wit of Gene Wilder.” Adding later, “I could not think of a more perfect person to present to Ryan than Kirk Douglas — genius to genius.”

Gosling also spoke of his admiration for the late actor and how his films were an early childhood inspiration. He claimed to be “the least talented in a group of kids on The Mickey Mouse Club” (his cohorts included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake) and gushed about his two presenters: “If I knew that Steve and Greta were going to be this great — charming, smart, gracious, funny — I would have suggested that I open and they close, so we can end on a high note.”

Gosling’s modest acceptance was a great capper to the night he said he was “not emotionally prepared for.” He described working with Carell as a hilarious experience. “He was so damn funny that the boom operator dropped the boom to hold his ribs. That’s how hard he was laughing. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone be so good it was a problem.”

Of working with Gerwig, Gosling said, “Even though she was making one of the biggest films of all time, she never let the weight of the task get in the way of what was important or to overwhelm the joy of the moment.”

Gosling also talked about his love of the movies and how much they have given to him. “But most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children. I dreamed of making movies, and now movies have made my life a dream.”