Ryan Gosling was not looking to become a father until he met the person with whom he could truly imagine himself doing so.
The actor has said that before falling in love with Eva Mendes, he had never seriously thought about having children, but something changed while they were both filming The Place Beyond the Pines.
In the film, they played a couple with a baby, and, for the first time, Gosling could see himself starting a family alongside Eva. Those scenes began to feel too close to something he truly wanted for his life. “I didn’t want it to remain something imaginary”, he explained years later while recalling that moment.
The relationship that began during that period ended up spilling completely beyond the screen. Ryan and Eva started a family and had two daughters, Esmeralda and Amada, while keeping much of their private life away from Hollywood.
Gosling has even said that, when it comes to his children, he can’t imagine having reached that point with anyone other than Eva 🥹