Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes appeared together in Derek Cianfrance’s epic crime drama movie The Place Beyond the Pines with the story from Cianfrance and Ben Coccio. Bradley Cooper also starred alongside the two in the movie that narrates three linear stories.
The filmmaker was reportedly inspired to write about the movie based on his experience as a father and had envisioned the main themes to be about father-son, masculine identity, and legacy. Upon its release, with moderate success at the box office, the movie received a positive response from the audience and the critics.
Gosling and Mendes are one of the most admired couples who are very private about their lives but a re-surfaced revelation from Derek Cianfrance goes on to show that they were always meant to meet and be.
Derek Cianfrance reveals one surprising fantasy of Ryan Gosling
Filmmaker Derek Cianfrance who had worked with Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine shared one surprising fantasy of Ryan Gosling that he ended up playing on-screen for his movie. In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, the director was asked about his second collaboration with Ryan Gosling and said that they have got a Tim Burton-Johnny Depp thing going on to which the filmmaker said,
“Somewhere back in 2007, I had begun working on The Place Beyond the Pines, writing it. I was having dinner one night with Ryan before Blue Valentine, and he was telling me that he had always had this fantasy of robbing banks.”
Cianfrance continued to share that Gosling explained to him that he had figured out how he would do it recalling that he would go on a motorcycle helmet so no one could see his face and drive away on a motorcycle. Then he would go five blocks to a U-Haul, drive into the back of the U-Haul, and drive off in the other direction. He further explained that Gosling’s fantasy surprised him;
“I said to Ryan, you’ve got to be kidding me! I just wrote that in the script. It was one of those times early on that I realized that we were destined to make movies together. It was a magical moment.”
The filmmaker shared that they spoke about Pines before Valentine noting that they couldn’t raise the money and built the trust to make the second. He acknowledged that as a filmmaker he had to make Blue Valentine first, adding that one cannot just climb seven steps.
Ryan Gosling suggested Eva Mendes for Romina in The Place Beyond the Pines
During the conversation, the interviewer asked the filmmaker about Eva Mendes who played Romina in the movie. The movie was very significant to the real-life couple as the movie was the start of their romance. Cianfrance mentioned that he and Gosling had discussed a lot over the years about who was going to play Romina and the actor suggested Eva Mendes’ name.
“She came to audition one afternoon at 4 p.m., in a raggedy t-shirt and no waist jeans from the ‘90s. She was trying her hardest to look ugly. No makeup. She looked beautiful. I said, ‘I’m not going to make you audition. Just take me on a drive around L.A.'”
The director complimented the actress by stating that the fact that she was ready to go on-screen and not be glamorous was a gift. He noted what he requires from his actors is that they show their vulnerability; the thing that makes human human is not their perfection.
Cianfrance stated that in that drive with Eva Mendes, he got to know her story because of who she was as a person and who she could be as an actor. Not only did the movie receive a positive response from the critics and audience but also cemented the beautiful relationship between Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes which just goes on to showcase that the couple were always meant to be together.
Gosling is nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 96th Academy Awards for his work in Barbie.
The Place Beyond The Pines is available on Apple TV+.
