Ryan Gosling describes his method of acting as ‘escape-room style’

Move aside method acting, Gosling’s ‘escape-room style’ is the next big thing

Wednesday 31 May 2023 16:19 BST

Trailer for The Barbie Movie

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Ryan Gosling has compared his preferred method to someone trying to find their way out of an escape room.

The La La Land star, who can be seen next in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film, said that he approaches roles in a reactionary manner.

Speaking to British GQ, Gosling explained that when he’s faced with unexpected circumstances on set, it’s important he finds a way out.

Giving an example, the 42-year-old said that he will sometimes show up to work with the mentality that it’s a rainy day when it’s not supposed to be raining, “or this person doesn’t want to say any of that dialogue, or the neighbour’s got a leaf blower and they’re not turning it off”.

In these situations, he said it’s necessary to ask: “What do you do next?”

Gosling called this method of acting “escape-room style”, referencing the popular activity where participants are locked in a room and given a series of clues and puzzles to solve in order to escape.

Stressing that he’d never actually been in an escape room, Gosling added: “Maybe I should do one, to see if this really works.”

However, he stressed that this hadn’t always been his approach, and that as a child, he would treat acting as an opportunity “to teach myself about myself”, akin to therapy.

His earlier approach appeared to draw similarities to Method acting, which has proven incredibly divisive after a New Yorker profile highlighted Succession star Jeremy Strong’s commitment to the craft.

In Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie, Gosling will portray Ken Barbie, the boyfriend of Margot Robbie’s titular Barbie, who journeys to the human world to find true happiness after getting booted from Barbieland.