Ryan Gosling reveals sweet ‘homage’ behind French-speaking dog in new movie

Actor says the canine character in ‘The Fall Guy’ was a homage to his wife’s Belgian Malinois

Ryan Gosling has revealed that a dog who only responds to commands in French in his new film The Fall Guy was inspired by a real-life pet who belonged to his wife Eva Mendes.

The Fall Guy, from Atomic Blonde and Bullet Train director David Leitch, premiered at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas yesterday (12 March).

It stars Gosling, 43, as a stunt man who becomes involved in trying to solve a murder, and along the way winds up with a canine sidekick: an Australian Kelpie named Jean Claude who only understands French.

Speaking at SXSW today, per Slash Film, Gosling said the idiosyncratic trait was inspired by a real life pet.

“Eva used to have a dog named Hugo who was a Belgian Malinois who was an attack dog. And he only spoke French. He’s passed now, so this is my homage to him,” said Gosling. “I miss that dude.”

Director Leitch, 48, added that the four-legged character gave the film a new dimension.

"It was another inspired idea from our creative sessions and we wanted to bring this additional character into the mix,” he said. “When you're in an action scene, you're always trying to give yourself problems to solve to make the choreography fresh.

“Rain is good, ice is good, and adding an animal on set is always great. The character just took on a life of its own."

Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling pictured together in 2012 (Getty Images)

Earlier this week, footage of Gosling reacting to the Anatomy of The Fall star Messi the dog clapping in the audience at the Oscars went viral on social media.

As Robert Downey Jr accepted his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, cameras caught the Barbie star’s reaction after showing Anatomy of The Fall scene stealer, Messi the dog, clapping with his paws in the audience. The actor was clearly overjoyed at the sight of the adorable pup.

Internet users took to social media to call Gosling’s reaction relatable, with one person writing: “Such golden retriever energy from Gosling.”

Earlier in the evening, Gosling left the Oscars crowd in hysterics with his long-awaited performance of “I’m Just Ken”.

Gosling began his performance in the crowd, sitting in his seat wearing a hot pink suit embellished with rhinestones, matching gloves, a cowboy hat, and a pair of sunglasses.

Sitting in the seats surrounding Gosling, his Barbie co-star Margot Robbie and Billie Eilish (who won Best Song together with her brother Finneas for their song in Barbie) were spotted on camera cracking up.