Ryan Gosling is a Hollywood legend.

Ryan Gosling has worn many faces over the years. Being one of the most recognized and respected actors in the film industry, his works have become ingrained into the very fabric of Hollywood ever since he starred in The Notebook. Since then he has been a part of blockbuster after blockbuster, proving time and time again that one actor can play as many iconic roles are they want.

Ryan Gosling was most recently seen in David Leitch’s The Fall Guy | Universal Pictures

While he has always been an extremely respected actor, in the past few years, this fame has sky-rocketed to an extent no one could have seen coming. Gosling’s last five films have collectively grossed almost $2 billion worldwide. This number is extremely impressive as only superhero movies are known for hitting numbers this high. Knowing this, let’s take a look back and see what made these films so special.

1. First Guy

In 2018, Ryan Gosling starred in the adaptation of Neil Armstrong’s biography called First Guy. Playing the first man to have ever stepped on the moon, audiences got to see the time leading up to the journey to the moon and all the hard work it took to get there.

Ryan Gosling in First Man (2018) I Universal Pictures

Gosling’s performance in the film was particularly well-received by fans and critics alike. So much so, that it has a 87% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film even ended up grossing a total of $105 million worldwide on a budget of $70 million, according to The Numbers, which is quite impressive.

2. The Gray Man

Since its announcement, The Gray Man had a lot of eyes on it. The film had an excellent cast of actors, including Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, and Gosling himself. It was also directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, who had previously made masterpieces like Avengers: Endgame and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The director duo made quite a fun film, following Evans in a villainous role and Gosling playing a CIA agent.

Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling in a still from The Gray Man (2022) I Netflix

While the movie seriously let down critics, having a rating of 45% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences seemed to like it quite a lot, giving it a score of 90% on the same platform. Unfortunately, since the movie was directly released on Netflix, it was not granted a grand box-office release, making its worldwide gross $451,178 according to The Numbers.

3. The Chase for Carrera

Ryan Gosling in The Chase for Carrera I TAG Heuer Carrera

The Chase for Carrera is certainly one of the lesser-known works of Ryan Gosling in recent years compared to the rest. A short film directed by Nash Edgerton, and starring Vanessa Bayer and David Leitch, it was a tribute film to TAG Heuer Carrera, for which, Gosling is an ambassador. While not much is known about the film, it does possess a 7.5 rating on IMDb.

4. Barbie

Barbie has become one of the best-known works of Gosling. His performance as Ken will go down in history as one of the best adaptions of all time and there is no denying that the actor was born the play the character. The film also started a lot of conversations and was one of the biggest movie of 2023, going hand in hand with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Ryan Gosling in Barbie (2023) | Warner Bros.

Every single aspect of the movie was excellent; ranging from its cast, director, set designs, and even music production. Thanks to these, it became the highest-grossing film of the year, earning over $1.4 billion worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. This is not surprising considering just how loved the movie was by fans and critics, having an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

5. The Fall Guy

The Fall Guy was the most recent addition to Ryan Gosling’s iconic roles. The film starred other respected actors like Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. It certainly had a unique and underrepresented story, with Gosling’s character being a stuntman in a movie. The film did an excellent job of showcasing the experiences of someone in the field.

Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy I Universal Pictures

It was also credited for being extremely hilarious, much like most of Gosling’s films, and the dynamic shared between him and Blunt was extremely captivating. It managed to gross a total of $174 million worldwide in its theatrical release according to The Numbers.

This is certainly not surprising, considering just how much audiences liked the movie, with its 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.