This Ex-mouseketeer follows own muse - SF Chronicle                               

Carla Meyer Sunday, April 4, 2004 


Ryan Gosling is a former Mouseketeer turned anti-teen heartthrob. The fiercely talented 23-year-old actor played a young, Jewish neo-Nazi in "The Believer'' and a homicidal high schooler in "Murder By Numbers.'' In "The United States of Leland,'' which opens Friday, he is a troubled 16-year-old who kills a mentally retarded boy. 

Gosling's mix of risky career choices and unconventional good looks recall Kevin Spacey, who, not coincidentally, plays his father in "Leland.'' Spacey produced the thoughtful ensemble drama, which also stars Don Cheadle and Jena Malone. 

Spacey's imprimatur gives "Leland" a better shot at sticking than some of Gosling's previous films. "The Believer'' was so incendiary only Showtime would touch it, and "The Slaughter Rule,'' in which David Morse played Gosling's pederastic football coach, vanished soon after release. 

Yet Gosling's star has continued to rise. Named the 2004 Male Star of Tomorrow by the nation's film exhibitors, he will appear in the World War II romance "The Notebook'' and in "Monster's Ball'' director Marc Forster's new film "Stay,'' opposite Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. And he's certainly the most serious -- not to mention most clothed -- artist to emerge from the 1990s incarnation of "The Mickey Mouse Club,'' which also produced Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. 

During a visit to San Francisco, Gosling, a tall and affable Cornwall, Ont., native, discussed his career and his past as black sheep of the Disney family. 

Q: You have played a lot of disaffected young people. Are you getting a rep? 

A: I'm pretty new at this, so now I'm starting to get the question, "Why is it that you're doing these things?" And it's making me think about it. Before I was just sort of acting on instinct. When you look at the menu, you order what you want. You don't have a reason for why you want that thing, you just want it the most. And I also feel like it's important as an artist to explore those dark places in yourself, as much as it's important to explore those places that feel good. 

Q: Kevin Spacey helped get "The United States of Leland" made. Is his the type of career you would like to have one day? 

A: Kevin has had an amazing career, and I think what he did for this film was amazing. He kind of put it all on the line on a gut feeling for ("Leland" director-writer) Matt Hoge. That's the way it used to work, in the 1970s, where the studio guys would say, "I have a feeling about you -- go make your picture." That doesn't happen anymore. 

Q: Who do you play in "Stay?" 

A: It's one of those movies that is very difficult to explain. Basically, I play a guy who is about to have a birthday, and he wants to kill himself on his birthday because he believes he has killed his parents, and he's going to a therapist as sort of a last cry for help before he kills himself. 

Q: Wow. Do you ever just want to do a comedy? 

Yeah, of course. And I think there are a lot of funny things in the things I have done. I just haven't read (a comedy script), to be honest, that is that funny. I like to have the feeling that no one else could do it but me, and I haven't had that feeling about a comedy. 

Q: What's it like to see your "Mickey Mouse Club" cohorts become music superstars? 

A: I always knew they were going to be successful. They have always wanted what they have now. They all had a great work ethic. 

Q: Do you ever see them? 

A: No, not really. It's kind of strange because we were all like, 11, and I didn't even really work on the show. I think they hired me to fill a Canadian quota, and when I got there, they realized I can't sing or dance. ... I remember I was in one number with all the guys, and I was so out of step that the camera sort of framed me out. I was never asked to do anything again. 

Q: Why did they need a Canadian? 

A: There is a Disney channel in Canada, and they wanted people to watch the show there. So they thought if they put a Canadian on the show, they would get all the Canadians to watch. And it didn't work out that way. They basically said my name at the beginning, and then I would run on at the end. The whole time I was taping the show, I was getting into trouble. 

Q: What kind of trouble? 

A: Oh, I don't want to talk about it. (Grins) I almost got fired a couple of times from that show. All the mothers got together at one point and had a big meeting about how I needed to go because I didn't do anything on the show and I was just trouble. 

Q: Do you ever want to appear in a really big film? These small, independent films probably aren't making you rich. 

A: And they don't usually come out! (Laughs) I have done movies that are bigger in budget, like "Stay" and "The Notebook.'' But at this point, I don't care. I really don't need it. I'm getting to make movies, and the kind of movies I like. Money would obscure the issue. ... I don't need to have a house at 23. 

Q: How do you feel about being named Male Star of Tomorrow? 

A: You mean the soup of the day? (Laughs). It's actually pretty nice. It comes from theater owners. Some of my movies don't even make it to theaters, so the fact that they acknowledge the choices I have made means a lot to me.