Ryan Gosling gets the Pop-Tarts

Ryan Gosling has been promoting Project Hail Mary enthusiastically for a few weeks now. He’s the star and also a producer on the project, the most recognisable name and face – although Rocky, the alien, and his best friend in the movie might eclipse him when the movie opens – and last night he was in New York for the premiere, in a light houndstooth suit accented with a pink shirt, and a skinny red tie and shoes.

I’ve always liked how he plays with colour in his wardrobe.

Back to the promotion, though, and his promotional personality which, since just before Barbie, has been so much fun, so aggressively charming, with so much easy-going humour that doesn’t feel forced, that comes across like it’s natural – this is what you want out of your star. He’s available and accessible and likeable but not too thirsty.

And for those of us who work in television, last night he showcased, once again, why he’s one of the favourites, especially with people who operate behind the scenes. On Late Night with Seth Meyers, the minute he gets on stage, Ryan notices Wally, who does the cue cards, and Donna, both of whom are also on staff at Saturday Night Live, which is where Ryan would have become familiar with them. He’s hosting SNL four times, but clocking them immediately and then making a point of referring to them immediately and throughout the interview, sharing details about who they are and his interactions with them, it becomes obvious that when he spends time at Studio 8H during his hosting weeks, it’s not just a transactional experience, he actually gets to know the people who are essential to the production. Donna, of course, is the blonde woman who is seen at the end of sketches, running the hosts off stage so they can change for the next segment. Apparently she has a sister in Tallahassee, Florida who makes pop-tarts, and Ryan’s the only guest host who’s been given the pop-tarts, not even Seth has heard of these pop-tarts.

The entire interview is entertaining, and even at times sweet, like when he talks about his daughters, how they came to visit him on set one day, and his passion for the film – it’s been nearly six years since he’s been involved, championing the story from before Andy Weir’s book was published.

 

It’s a great look for Ryan, at least through my eyes, and while we don’t know whether or not it’ll pay off in terms of box office, it enhances his celebrity. Although if we are talking about the box office, Project Hail Mary is currently projected to open between $55-$65 million on opening weekend which would be, if they can hit that, Amazon MGM’s biggest ever. It’s estimated that the movie cost $200 million to make and there’s pressure here for it to deliver, considering that the studio made that investment for theatrical release and, well, I think by now we all know that studios are getting more and more risk-averse when it comes to budget and in-personal theatrical experiences.

For Ryan in particular, while Barbie of course was a huge hit, the asterisk on his name, after The Fall Guy did not do as well at the box office as hoped, is whether or not he can open big. So far reviews for Project Hail Mary have been strong – it’s currently sitting at 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (Sarah’s review will be posted tomorrow) and the audience score, right now at least, is even higher. On his part, if it doesn’t hit, it wouldn’t be for a lack of trying. Ryan Gosling has been hustling, and somehow the hustle hasn’t been off-putting which is increasingly rare in these social media times when the public can turn on you for one reason or another. Very curious to see how we’ll be talking about him and Project Hail Mary by Monday, and I’m hoping it’s a win, not just for him, but also for the industry. Is this the first blockbuster of the year?