Ryan Gosling's Net Worth: He's (Not) Just Ken

Quick Links

• Ryan Gosling's Early Days As 'Trouble'

• Gosling's Path From Child Star To A-List Actor

• The Near-Downfall Of Ryan Gosling's Career

• Ryan Gosling Hustles To The Top

• Ryan Gosling's Net Worth Skyrockets

Highlights

• Ryan Gosling's portrayal of Ken in Barbie has elevated his popularity dramatically among fans, reaching all-time highs.
• Despite not winning an Oscar, Gosling impressed with his "Kenergetic" performance, and is now considered the most in-demand actor in Hollywood.
• From childhood struggles to a $70 million net worth, Gosling's journey highlights resilience and success in the face of adversity.

It's been quite some time since Barbie hit theaters, but people still aren't over the movie — especially the character Ken, played by the charismatic Ryan Gosling.

The popularity of Gosling's Ken has soared dramatically to an all-time high ... Barbie fans humorously say "I have had Kenough" (instead of "enough") and they introduced "Kentastic" as an alternative to "fantastic."

This year’s Oscars were deeply infused with Gosling's Kenergy, as he was nominated in the category of "Best Supporting Actor" for his role as Ken.

He didn’t win the Oscar, but he definitively captured the audience's hearts and brought down the house with his extraordinarily Kenergetic rendition of "I'm Just Ken" at the ceremony (accompanied by Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash):

On April 13th, Gosling hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL), making headlines for a bevy of reasons, including allusions to his role as Ken.

Now his latest project, The Fall Guy, is earning praise from critics — and it's counted among the most hotly-anticipated movies of 2024:

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A three-time Oscar nominee, Gosling is now enjoying the perks of superstardom; he is currently the most in-demand actor in Hollywood.

This is not only a new peak in his career — his fortune is also rising rapidly. But all these achievements didn't materialize overnight.

Gosling was once a shy and introverted person, whose nickname was "Trouble," because he summoned it so often.

Even in his acting career, he encountered a problem that almost ended his journey prematurely.

Let's dive into the outstanding story of one of Hollywood's finest actors today, Ryan Gosling, and see how he rose above "trouble," and weaved an incredible path to stardom and fortune.

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Ryan Gosling's Early Days As 'Trouble'

Canadian actor Ryan Gosling's early life was not easy — he faced bullying as a child, and didn't have many friends.

A young Ryan liked to be alone, and didn't enjoy the company of his classmates.

In first grade, an impressionable Gosling was influenced by the Sylvester Stallone movie First Blood — and as such, he brought steak knives from home to school and attacked one of his bullies during recess, resulting in his suspension.

Gosling's father, Thomas Ray Gosling, was a traveling salesman. Due to the nature of his father’s job, Ryan had to move frequently, and his new classmates were typically unwelcoming to "the new kid."

Ryan himself recounted another violent incident from his school years, one which dissuaded him from returning:

"I walked into school. Everything got really quiet. I found one of the kids in front of a urinal. I smacked his face into the tile, and he bled.

"The other kid was at his desk. I picked up a math textbook and made his nose bleed. I didn't want to do it. I don't like violence. I never went back to that school again."

After he was so often targeted by bullies, people started calling him "Trouble," because he would often fight back against them.

As a boy, Gosling was not adept at his studies; in fact, he was unable to read, and was evaluated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) but never formally diagnosed.

His only companion was his television, where he watched programs and desired to immerse himself in the world on the screen.

Gosling admitted:

I was a lonely child. I didn’t do well at school and TV was my only friend. Then, one day, I saw Raquel Welch on The Muppet Show … She was the first crush I ever had, and I thought, 'How do I get to meet this woman?'

And then I thought, well, she’s on TV, so to meet her, I have to get on TV myself.

A twelve-year-old with a dream of meeting his crush auditioned for a new version of The Mickey Mouse Club on the Disney Channel — and secured a two-year contract alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake.

Gosling moved to the United States with his mother for this opportunity.

Although he rarely appeared on-screen (because showrunners thought the other kids were more talented), Ryan still recalls the show fondly, as it taught him to focus.

After the show was canceled in 1995, Gosling moved back to Canada, but he had already decided that he would become an actor.

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Gosling's Path From Child Star To A-List Actor

Talent finds its own path to shine, as was the case with Ryan Gosling's ascent to stardom.

In 1995, after returning to Canada, Gosling secured many one-episode roles on children's shows, such as Are You Afraid Of The Dark, Goosebumps, Road To Avonlea, and Ready Or Not — until he landed a breakout role in the film Frankenstein And Me.

His first major breakthrough came in 1997, when he was just 17.

Ryan got the opportunity to work on the teen drama sitcom Breaker High as Sean Hanlon, and he concurrently decided to leave high school to pursue an acting career.

The next year, when Breaker High ended, Gosling moved to New Zealand for the television show Young Hercules.

However, he soon grew bored with the series, and after Young Hercules, he never again took a main role on a television show throughout his career.

His portrayal of Hercules was quite popular in the United States, and it didn't take him too long to land him a role in a movie.

His big first movie (with legend Denzel Washington) was a supporting role in Remember The Titans:

Gosling's standout performance in The Believer, in which he portrayed Danny Balint, a Jewish Neo-Nazi character, earned him significant praise.

After impressing audiences in those roles, Ryan landed the biggest role of his career to date in The Notebook in 2004, which is still regarded as one of the greatest love stories in cinematic history.

The Notebook elevated Gosling to worldwide fame, but his 2007 movie Half Nelson marked the first time he was considered a contender for an Oscar.

Everything was going well in Gosling's career, but his "Trouble" kicked in, and his rising star status was endangered.

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The Near-Downfall Of Ryan Gosling's Career

Director Peter Jackson and producer Fran Walsh approached Gosling for their film adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones in 2007.

Initially, he agreed to participate in the production — but he was fired from the project, two days before filming began.

Later, it emerged that Gosling was unhappy about being cast in the role of a father to a teenage girl, as he felt he was too young for the part at the age of just 27.

However, Jackson and Walsh sought to convince him that he could appear older, with gray hair and theatrical makeup. Without informing the filmmakers, Gosling gained 60 pounds and grew a beard to look like an old man.

Gosling's efforts did not go over well with Jackson, and at the last minute, they cast Mark Wahlberg to replace him.

A man who was then-recently nominated for an Oscar (in 2007) was overweight, and he had no acting projects lined up due to his broken commitment to The Lovely Bones.

After this fiasco, Gosling's career was quiet for three years, and he didn't land any new roles — at first glance, it looked like Ryan's career had met a premature end.

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Ryan Gosling Hustles To The Top

Ryan Gosling had tasted the sweet nectar of success, but then thirsted for three years.

In 2010, he roared back, with one of the finest performances of his career in Blue Valentine.

He didn’t stop there. The following year, he appeared in three super-hit films: Drive, Crazy, Stupid, Love, and The Ides Of March.

Drive has a massive cult following, and after Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Ides Of March, Gosling was nominated for a Golden Globe.

In a few short years, Ryan got his career back on track.

Ryan Gosling's Career Highlights

After outstanding performances in films like The Big Short and The Nice Guys, Gosling portrayed Sebastian in La La Land.

For this role, he was nominated for "Best Actor" awards at major ceremonies like the Oscars, the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

His most unforgettable movies include Blade Runner 2049 (from the Alien franchise), and First Man (in which he portrayed Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to step onto the moon); his performance in Gray Man received acclaim from critics and audiences.

But Barbie propelled him to an even higher level of fame.

Before Ken, he was simply a great actor, and now, he's a superstar.

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Ryan Gosling's Net Worth Skyrockets

According to Forbes, Ryan Gosling added $50 million to his coffers, and became the fourth highest-paid actor of 2023.

Six-time Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominee Gosling is enjoying success on all fronts — every project to which he is attached becomes a hit, and his wealth is increasing in tandem with his career achievements.

Today, Ryan Gosling's net worth has increased to an estimated $70 million, and at the rate he's going, it would be no surprise if he surpasses the $100 million mark by the end of the year.

Ryan Gosling's Reported Movie Salaries

In La La Land, as a main lead, he received a gigantic $29 million salary — the largest in his career to date, but The Fall Guy could beat it.

Gosling is also a co-owner of the Moroccan restaurant Tangine in Beverly Hills, and he recently co-founded a production company, General Admission, with Jessie Henderson.

However, his successful acting career and endorsements are the primary drivers of Gosling's $70 million net worth (which, again, appears to be on the rise).

Ryan Gosling's ascent from a humble $1,000 per-week wage to a mammoth $29 million movie payday was not easy — he faced lengthy unemployment, harsh criticism, and failures, but he didn't back down.

Gosling's life and achievements are an object lesson in facing adversity, perservering, and coming out on top.

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