Hail Ryan Gosling For Arriving Once A Year To Keep Comedy Alive

There’s something to be said about an actor who does maybe one film a year but doesn’t choose some serious, Oscar-bait, intense drama to remind people he is good at this acting business or some blockbuster franchise film. No, Ryan Gosling arrives once a year to pick a comedy instead, or at least a film where he can flex that comic timing. And he makes sure everyone has a banging time at the movies watching him do it.

Case in point: The currently record-smashing "Project Hail Mary", a film adapted from Andy Weir’s sci-fi novel of the same name that Gosling had bagged the rights for years ago. He plays Dr Ryland Grace, a scientist-turned-schoolteacher sent into space as humanity's only hope. Stranded, he befriends an alien with the same mission as him, and together, they give us one of the most wholesome buddy movies we’ve seen in a long time. 

The film capitalises on Gosling’s charm, puts him in dorky glasses and the cosiest of cardigans and makes him do cool science stuff with an alien who is excited by this new world and friendship. Grace and Rocky’s camaraderie might be written in the stars, but the film’s writing and Gosling’s timing play a huge part in making this mission successful. Even more so, when paired opposite Sandra Hüller’s deadpan German humor during the flashbacks, the result is immensely enjoyable.

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For now, "Project Hail Mary" is Gosling’s only release this year. His last film was the critically and commercially loved “The Fall Guy” in 2024, again the only one he had coming out in the year. It was an action comedy opposite Emily Blunt in which he played a stuntman facing some IRL bad-guy action. And here too, his funny guy charm was undeniable as his character, Colt Seavers, flirted with his director, Jody, while performing death-defying stunts.

The year 2023 also saw a single Ryan Gosling release. But you could say it was big enough to have people talking about it all year and even after. It was the year of the Barbenheimer, and even as Robert Downey Jr.’s "Oppenheimer" performance took home the awards, Gosling’s Kenergy in "Barbie" was, in Ken’s own words, “Sublime!” It is a feat that anyone on that shocking pink set got any lines in a scene with the man!

Ryan Gosling’s filmography has had quite the interesting arc when you think about how he started off with psychological thrillers and drama films, with that one occasional comedy: "Lars and the Real Girl (2007)". It wasn’t until 2011, when Gosling got a chance to make comedy look sexy in "Crazy, Stupid, Love," that fans realised they wanted more of the actor doing this. The film’s climax is easily one of the funniest comedy scenes to exist. 

Then came 2016, when both "The Nice Guys" and "La La Land" gave us a taste of Gosling’s penchant for playing the stylish, smart and funny guy. What’s more, it didn’t have to be an out-and-out comedy either. Gosling’s humour could adapt to the needs of the film. "The Gray Man (2022)" may not have been all that palatable as an action thriller, but its Courtland Gentry had his droll moments. His upcoming film, "Star Wars: Starfighter," is directed by Shawn Levy, and going by both Levy and Gosling’s track records, this could very well have an “action-comedy set in space” vibe.

It is no surprise then that Ryan Gosling’s next film post "Star Wars: Starfighter" is going to be another sci-fi action comedy, this time with The Daniels, who made the Oscar-winning “Everything Everywhere All At Once." So space, sci-fi and comedy seem to be a Ryan Gosling triple-threat mantra at the box office.

What makes Gosling’s commitment to comedy even more entertaining is the fact that he keeps the funny guy around even during film promotions. Because essentially, he is just that funny. The actor has hosted SNL four times already, and is famous for breaking character and making his seasoned co-stars do the same. He plays along with interviewers who talk to him about his new BFF Rocky as if they are real. He wears his Kenergy on just as proudly as those jackets he’s become famous for, which have spawned an entire Ryan Gosling Jackets Universe. Well, it suits him pretty fine. He’s just Ken, and his job is just keeping comedy alive.