Saoirse Ronan opens up about Ryan Gosling’s firing from The Lovely Bones

Saoirse Ronanthe Oscar-nominated actor in films like Lady Bird, Brooklyn And Little womenremembers when a very prominent actor was fired a few days before filming for her thriller began, The beautiful bones. As originally planned, Ryan Gosling would play Ronan’s father in the film (although the difference is only 14 years and Gosling is 27), but director Peter Jackson makes the abrupt decision to dismiss Gosling from the film. Why? An unexpected decision related to… method acting?

The beautiful bones Ronan plays Susie Salmon, a 14-year-old student who is murdered by an unknown stranger. Now in Purgatory (or “The In-Between”), Susie tries her best to comfort her family in any way she can, but also helps everyone find the murderer who violently took her life. The film is based on the supernatural drama novel of the same name by Alice Sebold.

When Ronan spoke on Happy, sad, confused Podcast on October 7th about her two new films (The outrun And flash), she took time to talk about the production The beautiful bones. She remembers having a close bond with Gosling as he was cast as her father Jack in the film. However, Jackson decided at the last minute that Gosling couldn’t play the role because The actor had decided to gain 30 pounds and grow a very thick beard for the role. The reason for this was Gosling’s concern that he looked too young for the role. Ronan explained her feelings about it:

”
I think I just loved Ryan [Gosling] and his dog George, and I was just sad he wouldn’t be there
. But I think the reasons why they broke up were absolutely legitimate and I’ve spoken to both of them [Gosling and Jackson] now, and it happens. Do you know what I mean? It’s not necessarily personal. It’s like sometimes you just disagree.”

With the role of Jack suddenly (and desperately) vacant, Jackson looked for someone else who could authentically portray the role. Mark Wahlberg (pain and Gain, The deceased) stepped in and did a pretty good job, even if he didn’t have enough time to prepare. Ronan said: “Mark was able to step in and he was a father. He was a father of, I don’t know, three children? He probably had an experience with it that Ryan didn’t think he had. “Ryan.” was about 27. He was young.”

“I got it wrong.” “Then I was fat and unemployed”

While The beautiful bones was a surprising critical dud, ending shortly before production began didn’t help Gosling’s self-esteem (nor did the creation of the Twitter handle Fat Ryan Gosling). Remember, this was before he gained international popularity in 2011 with his epic film series (Blue Valentine, Drive, Crazy Stupid Love). Today, Gosling is one of Hollywood’s most important megastars, appearing in acclaimed films such as Barbie, The Guy case, And La La Land. But back then it wasn’t that easy. Gosling addressed his exit from the project back in 2010 when the film hit theaters, telling The Hollywood Reporter in 2010:

“We had a different idea of ​​what we wanted the character to look like. I really believed he should weigh 210 pounds. We didn’t talk much during the pre-production process, which was the problem. It was a huge film and there were so many things to deal with, and he couldn’t get into the individual actors.
I just showed up on set and I was wrong. Then I was fat and unemployed.
“

Gosling’s firing was likely one of the reasons Paramount Pictures changed the release date several times. The man behind the blockbuster directed it Lord of the rings Trilogy, The beautiful bones wasn’t exactly a box office hit. The film definitely grossed more than its budget, but the marketing budget and costs of production delays slightly ate into the film’s net profit.

Although the film received a single Oscar nomination for Stanley Tucci’s portrayal of serial killer George Harvey, it failed to capture the interest of critics. They praised Jackson’s ability to portray an authentic 1973, but the story felt inconsistent. In marketing, The beautiful bones was presented to a younger audience. However, the topics covered were more suitable for adults.

Release date

February 19, 2009