While Ryan Gosling has proven he can star in both dramas and comedies, the actor explained why he’s not really taking roles that put him in a “dark place.”

Ryan Gosling isn’t just Ken.

In fact, the Barbie star has given a range of performances throughout his career. However, he recently explained the type of role he’s stepping back from these days and how his longtime love Eva Mendes and their daughters Esmeralda, 9, and Amada, 8, play a factor.

“I don’t really take roles that are going to put me in some kind of dark place,” Ryan told WSJ. Magazine in an interview published May 2. “This moment is what I feel like trying to read the room at home and feel like what is going to be best for all of us. The decisions I make, I make them with Eva and we make them with our family in mind first.”

To be clear, Ryan has acted in dramas before—including Fracture, The Place Beyond the Pines (where he co-starred alongside Eva) and Half Nelson, which earned him his first Oscar nomination. Still, the 43-year-old has achieved a lot of success in the musical or comedy genres, too—winning over audiences in rom-coms like Crazy, Stupid, Love and racking up two more Academy Award nods for his appearances in Barbie and La La Land.

“I think La La Land was the first,” he continued about his shift towards lighter content. “It was just sort of like, Oh, this will be fun for them, too, because even though they’re not coming to set, we’re practicing piano every day or we’re dancing or we’re singing. Their interest in Barbie and their disinterest in Ken was an inspiration. I thought, they were already making little movies about their Barbies on the iPad when it happened, so the fact that I was going off to work to make one too, we just felt like we were aligned.”

Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling, The Place Beyond the Pines, PremiereSonia Recchia/Getty Images

And while Ryan may be a movie star to the rest of the world, to his kids, he’s just Papi.

“It kills me every time,” The Fall Guy actor and producer added about his children’s name for him. “There’s just nothing, nothing better than that.”

And if you think there’s nothing better than learning more about Ryan and Eva’s life together, keep reading to get a glimpse into their romance with these photos from over the years.

Ryan Gosling, Eva MendesSplash

Arm-in-Arm

Ryan Gosling visited Eva Mendes in Paris while she was filming her movie Holly Motors in 2011.

Eva Mendes, Ryan GoslingSplash

PDA in Paris

The couple spent some alone time together at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

 

Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling, The Place Beyond the Pines, filming, 2011Thelonius / Splash News

Hollywood Sights

The pair were seen together behind-the-scenes of their film The Place Beyond the Pines in 2011.

Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling, The Place Beyond the Pines, PremiereSonia Recchia/Getty Images

Red Carpet Ready

The two lovebirds hit the red carpet for the premiere of their movie in 2012.

Ryan Gosling, Eva MendesCYYZ / BACKGRID

Fall’n In Love

The adventurous pair fit in some quality time up north at the Niagara Falls Amusement Park in 2014.

Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, 2012BACKGRID

Chic Coffee Runs

Nothing gets between this couple, not even coffee! The two are inseparable holding hands as they grab coffee in NYC.

Ryan Gosling, Eva MendesSharpshooter Images/Splash

Disney Date

Ryan and Eva walked hand in hand and enjoyed a evening full of rides, food carts and PDA at Disneyland.