Ryan Gosling Dives into the World of the Great, the Great and the Great
On August 29, Hollywood maverick Ryan Gosling shared a new secret: he takes flight classes to really get Wayne Lewis’s favourite space hero, Neil Armstrong. The Canadian star is stepping once again into the shoes of a dream‑spitter, this time starring as the legendary pilot in First Man, the latest biopic directed by Damien Chazelle.
Why Learn to Fly?
Gosling explained to reporters that Armstrong started flying before he ever learned to drive, and for Gosling it made sense to try the same. “It was a pretty natural thing to do. But the moment the instructor told me to take the plane into a controlled stall, I had a sudden epiphany: it’s a solidly awful idea!” he quipped. Neil was a forged pilot in iron, not a cookie-cutter over‑eager contender,” Gosling added. “He had a distinct flavor that set him apart from the other explorers.”
Sky‑High Training & Nebulous Dreams
- Gosling juggled studio work with jet lessons, climbing virtual planes to push them to the brink—an audacious move “just to further our grasp of aviation.”
- In the film’s Venice debut, Chazelle—whose 50/50 French–Canadian heritage lends him a unique worldview—reflects on the unifying bravery of astronauts.
- “Think of the spaceship like a patient, processing its unimaginable silence, creating tin cans that can take on the void. It’s awe‑inspiring terror.”
Cheating the Gravity of Closet Panic
Co‑stars Jason Clarke and Claire Foy paid tribute to cutting‑edge crews that built the cramped, spine‑tingling capsules. “We were locked in these womb‑like suits, and the doors would close with three layers all over us,” Clarke confessed. It was a meltdown of a sort—our hearts were pounding, we didn’t even know how to get out again.
Foy praised the film for its huge debt to Armstrong’s family and to the late Janet—her widow, who brought the script to life and met every actor with her seasoned, supportive touch.
Gosling’s Guilty Joy: Hair
When asked what he looks for in a director, Gosling teased a personal benchmark, “Good hair. A daring head of hair is critical. And Damien being half‑Canadian—bonus points!” – showing he still has playful humor about the craft.
