It seems a young Ryan Gosling was nearly used as a pawn in Burt Reynold’s attempt to score with his mother.
In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! , the now 43-year-old Gosling reminisced about collaborating with the late Burt on the 1996 film Frankenstein and Me.
Kimmel asked if the legendary actor, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 82, was approachable on set. Ryan confirmed he was. However, he attributed the kindness to Reynolds’ having the hots for his mother, Donna.
The children’s movie revolves around a scenario where a Frankenstein dummy tumbles off the back of a carnival truck, captivating a 12-year-old (Jamieson Boulanger) who dreams of animating the monster.
In his first major film role, Gosling took on the character of Kenny, whereas Reynolds portrayed Les Williams.
Why Ryan Gosling is Convinced Burt Reynolds Had It Bad For His Mother
When inquired about the extent of his interaction with Reynolds on set, Gosling, then aged 13 or 14, responded, “It’s complicated.”
“Because I thought he took a shine to me. I thought he thought there was something special about me. And then I realized that I have a really beautiful mom,” Gosling quipped about his mom Donna.
“He was just kind of interested. It was like I was getting like a secondary shine. The real shine was for my mom. And I was like, ‘Oh, this is secondary shine,’ ” Gosling added.
“How long did it take you to figure that out?” Kimmel asked.
“I wish I had found out sooner,” Gosling admitted. He added that his mom absolutely relished the attention, even though she and Reynolds never quite made it to a Hollywood romance.
Ryan Gosling also recounted Burt Reynolds attempting to give him relationship advice.
“He was like, ‘Let me tell you something kid, Don’t spend your whole life stepping over diamonds to live with a cubic zirconia,’ ” Gosling recalled Reynold saying.
However, the advice was somewhat lost on him.
“I was like, ‘I’m 13. I don’t know what any of those things are.’ I don’t know what any of that is. Stop looking at my mom. I’m right here,” he joked.
Why It’s No Shocker That Ryan Gosling Debuted in a Frankenstein Project
Of course, it should come as no surprise to fans that Ryan Gosling cut his teeth on a Frankenstein-themed project. Gosling is a bonafide monster kid. For several years on Twitter, his avatar was of Karloff’s famous monster. In his 2012 film Beyond the Pines, he sports a Frankenstein’s Monster tattoo on his hand.
More recently, Gosling was attached to star in the upcoming remake of the classic monster flick, The Wolf Man. However, Gosling dropped out of the project.
Ryan also performed alongside Zach Shields from 2007 to 2012 as the music duo Dead Man’s Bones. All of their songs were infused with spooky, Halloween-fueled themes, including tracks like “My Body’s a Zombie for You.” The pair released one self-titled album in 2009.
Here’s hoping Ryan Gosling returns to his spooky roots and lands a high-profile monster project in the future. He’s the perfect age to play one heck of a Dracula…