Ryan Gosling has spent years openly campaigning to play Ghost Rider, but a past interview suggests the casting may have been further along than he was allowed to admit (at the time). Now that Marvel has officially handed him the flaming skull, one viral interview he made while promoting Project Hail Mary is going viral for the carefully awkward way he answered.
It’s only been a few days since we learned Ryan Gosling will lead a standalone Ghost Rider movie directed by Shawn Levy and scheduled for 2028. The studio hasn’t revealed much about Gosling’s upcoming Marvel movie, but the few details we have are promising. The Notebook actor will play Johnny Blaze, while Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker Shawn Levy is set to direct. The pair recently worked together on the upcoming Star Wars movie Starfighter, and Kevin Feige told CinemaBlend the Canadian actor approached Marvel with both a pitch and a vision for the character.
Though these details are new, the possibility of Ghost Rider has been on everyone’s minds for quite a bit longer since it was the actor himself who expressed interest in the role. Now, a viral clip from a few months ago has been making the rounds on Instagram and X (Twitter) after the big announcement. The caption, “Yeah. He knew,” invites everyone to watch the exchange again with hindsight.
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In the interview, interviewer Josh Horowitz keeps pressing while the Drive star responds with the careful, hilarious vagueness of someone trying not to step on a spoiler mine. It’s awkward, it’s executed amusingly, and it gave away nothing away in the moment, except looking back, you can pretty much tell Gosling is uncomfortable with the whole thing.
Horowitz also brings up the actor’s wife Eva Mendes, who starred opposite Nicolas Cage in the 2007 Ghost Rider movie. He jokes that she must hold that over Gosling at home, but the actor simply says he is glad one of them got to be part of the franchise. Which is a sweet response, especially given how she’s openly supported his casting, saying she knew he’d be the perfect fit for the role.
Mendes’ connection to the earlier film makes Gosling’s eventual casting even funnier. She entered the world of Ghost Rider nearly two decades before her longtime partner finally got his turn.
Fans Think Gosling’s Body Language Gave Him Away
The comments under the video are full of fans studying the Oscar-nominated Ken star’s response like game-day footage. Several noticed an ear scratching tell, while others believe his eyes and pauses told the story. Here are some of the best responses:
- @drbluejay: “Keep hope alive” 😭😭😭
- @Lettraxy: “The ‘keep hope alive’ part kills me”
- @Joshua_9763: “I’ve done everything in my power.” I think we underestimated how much power this man had 🤣
- @Hibritneymona: “I think his lying tic is how he was rubbing his ear while answering lmao.”
- @Theberlindays: “He’s telling you with his eyes and the whole body language.”
- @Carriehowlter: “I hope he doesn’t ever play poker.”
- @Erinncrl: “The way it’s so obvious he knew but couldn’t say anything yet.”
- @Finchely: “It’s so obvious now 😆”
Moving forward, I think the next time the Barbie actor denies being involved in a major franchise, I will be checking whether his fingers drift toward that ear.
Of course, he may not have had a signed deal when the interview was recorded. Saying that discussions were “complicated” leaves room for negotiations, scheduling issues leading to moving pieces with the Marvel movies in order, or the studio simply taking its time. What seems clear now is that Ghost Rider was more than a role he casually tossed out during interviews, and awkward as this now-viral moment is, I’m glad it will exist in perpetuity now that we know what came next.