It was the smirk heard 'round the world. While the stage at the Academy Awards was full of chaos, gracious bowing down, and well-earned award winning, Ryan Gosling was laughing when Moonlight was announced as the real winner of the Best Picture award. While I had thought the always-cool Gosling was laughing because he was just so amused at the insanity of it all, the La La Land star has explained why he was smiling during the biggest faux pas in Oscars history. And yes, his explanation will do what should be unthinkable (but occurs too frequently to be denied): Make you adore Gosling even more.
During an interview at the 2017 Adobe Summit, which which Gosling headlined, Adobe executive vice president and chief marketing officer Ann Lewnes asked the actor about the final moments at the 2017 Oscars. Gosling said:
"What really was happening was I was watching — it's surreal anyway that moment — and then I was watching people start to have these panicked reactions in the crowd and guys running around with headsets and I thought someone had been hurt or was having some kind of medical situation or maybe worse. So I just had this worst-case scenario playing out in my head. And then I just heard, 'Oh, Moonlight won' and I was so relieved that I started laughing."
As a world-class worst-case scenarioist, Gosling's immediate concern speaks to me. Sure, I haven't been onstage at the Academy Awards because a movie I starred in was just announced as the winner of Best Picture (yet), but thinking something horrible happened and then being flooded with genuine relief that everything is OK is so relatable for anxiety-ridden people everywhere.
Now, for some actors, losing the Best Picture Oscar would not really be an "everything is OK" type of moment, but Gosling's statement proves yet again just how grounded he is by that not being his focus. He was so relieved that no one was hurt that he wasn't even upset that La La Land hadn't actually won. How much grace and charm can one man possibly contain?!
Evidently, loads more since Gosling admitted that relief wasn't the only reason that he looked gleeful. He added:
"Truthfully, I was also so thrilled for Moonlight. I know the director [Barry Jenkins] and Mahershala Ali is someone I've worked with before. I just think it's such a groundbreaking film and they made it for a million dollars. It's an incredible achievement and I was so happy for them that they were being recognized in the way that they were."
As Lewnes said in response to Gosling's kindhearted answer, "You really are Canadian."
Beyond his talents and looks, Gosling has always been such a positive presence in Hollywood because of his down-to-earth nature. And considering his concern for the well-being of his fellow Oscar attendees overrode any disappointment about his film not winning Best Picture just proves he has more levels of graciousness in him than are even conceivable.
