Ryan Gosling is an artist who desires respect from his fellow peers. His focus is not on the idea of success in terms of finances but rather, in regards to artistic merit. A man dedicated to his craft, Gosling challenges himself to deliver complex and enigmatic performances in each one of his films. His roles are abstract and the films are low key but yet he manages to deliver astounding performances time and time again.

The Early Days of Gosling

Ryan Gosling was born on November 12, 1980 in London, Ontario, Canada. The second of two children, Gosling grew up in a strict religious family. However, religion was never pushed upon him by his parents and he was left to pursue life uninhibited. As a result, his choices were his and his alone.

However, turmoil was taking its toll within the Gosling household and eventually culminated with his parents divorce. As time progressed, Ryan found himself struggling to fit in at school and thus became involved in numerous fights with fellow classmates. Never one to back down, Gosling would be involved in numerous altercations on the school grounds and eventually was removed from school by his mother (who proceeded to teach him herself). In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Gosling admitted: “I’d pick on the toughest guys because the girls liked them. So if I beat them up the girls would like me. But it never worked”. This desire to go after what he wanted would certainly be crucial to his role as an actor in Hollywood in the near future.

Gosling got his first break at stardom in 1993 when he beat out thousands of others for the chance to be a show regular on the Mickey Mouse Club. Though his time there was brief, Gosling went on to appear in many Canadian produced television shows such as “Are You Afraid of the Dark” and “Breaker High”. After appearing on an episode of “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”, Gosling landed the role of young Hercules on the show “Young Hercules” which lasted for two seasons (1998-99).

The Later Days

As Gosling grew in years, his desires began to change. Growing weary of his relegation as a teen actor, Ryan matured greatly when he took on the role of a Jewish man who develops an anti-Semitic world view in the film, “The Believer” (2001). Tense and disturbing (even more so since it was based on a true story), Gosling’s performance was fuelled by a dedication to truly bring life to this unlovable but confused character (Gosling was nominated for numerous awards for his performance).

As time progressed, Gosling would move on to play a scheming and manipulative killer in “Murder by Numbers” (2002) with Sandra Bullock and an apparent child murderer in “The United States of Leland” (2003) with Don Cheadle. However, his breakthrough role came in 2004 when he was cast along Rachel McAdams in the tender love story entitled “The Notebook”. Budgeted at 30 million dollars, the film went on to gross over 80 million and make instant stars out of Gosling and McAdams.

Gosling soon became a sex symbol and even better (forHollywood) became an instant celebrity. However, Gosling refused to sell out to theHollywoodsystem. Consequently, he came to be defined as an actor who showed greater interest in art rather then commerce. This personal creed has continued to fuel his creative decisions.

After his big break, Gosling could have pursued anything but he chose to perform in the mind bending film, “Stay” (2005) with Ewan Mcgregor. Though the film was a box office failure, he still refusedHollywood’s attempt to control his destiny. He was eventually rewarded for his passion when he landed the role of Dan Dunne in “Half Nelson” (2006). Dan, a teacher, vows to help one of his troubled younger students succeed while simultaneously battling his own drug addiction. His performance consequently garnered him an Academy Award nomination and the respect from his peers he so adamantly desired (He became the second youngest male ever to be nominated for Best Actor-Only John Travolta was younger for his role in Saturday Night Fever (1977)).

Granted, Gosling did go on to appear in the Hollywood oozing “Fracture” (2007) with Anthony Hopkins, but his role as an idealistic and cocky district attorney furthered identified his acting range and quickly diminished any belief that he had sold out.

Gosling soon reentered the Independent world with his role as Lars in the film “Lars and the Real Girl” (2007). Gosling plays a lonely and isolated man so detached from society that he begins to date an anatomically correct sex doll. The film may sound awkward and irreverent but it is truly a heartwarming story about hope and acceptance. Gosling portrays this difficult character with warmth and fragility. Lars never becomes the topic of mockery and embarrassment because Gosling refuses to depict the character as an absurd entity. He is merely a socially awkward character who desires to fit in with the world around him.

His Impact on Film

Though Gosling is only 27 years old, he has quickly become a household name. He has been deemed one of the sexiest stars inHollywoodby People magazine and been labeled the next big thing in the film world by some. His desire to grow as an actor outweighs any paycheck. He views acting as an art not a job. As of now, he has yet to take on many film roles for the chance at a hefty payday.

As Johnny Depp and Phillip Seymour Hoffman typically do, Gosling desires to transform himself within the Independent film world. The smaller stories are not concerned with explosions or Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) but rather focus on the idea of characters and their relationships to society. For an actor, this must be the most rewarding aspect of role-playing. To be remembered as an artist, rather then a star.

We live in a bubble. The bubble we inhabit is defined by particular codes and regulations of how society is to properly conduct itself. Because our cultural and social norms are pre-determined from birth, behaviour that does not assimilate itself with these pre-established values is typically deemed as opposing what is morally correct. Inhabitants of society are considered to act in a particular fashion, or be deemed as dangerous opposition to social values_.

It’s often funny how we adapt our behaviour to the defined values governing our particular culture. If I’m acting selfish, I am certainly going to be questioned about it by my peers. Being selfish may be who I am as an individual, but being selfish is also deemed as an inappropriate behavioural trait that needs to be regulated. In a sense, certain qualities define us as individuals, but if they are deemed inappropriate by our peers, we force ourselves to change and conform to our socially predetermined values*.

It is only when mainstream culture finds some way to define ‘other’ behaviour that it becomes acceptable and thus categorized as safe.

In regards to popular culture, society has always struggled to cope with alternative modes of thought. Whether it was found in the gyrating hips of Elvis Presley, or in the long, social misfit haircuts of The Beatles, society has struggled with evolution. In 1967, Arthur Penn’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ depicted graphic violence never before seen in mainstream film. From 1971-79, ‘All in the Family’s’ Archie Bunker proudly expressed his bigotry to weekly audiences. Sexuality was pushed to the limits in Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘Last Tango in Paris’ (1972), which saw Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider realistically** portray the act of fornication to art-house audiences worldwide. In the 90s, Marilyn Manson screamed about his love for the devil, and the 2000s were highlighted by Eminem’s lyrical onslaught viciously directed towards his wife and mother***.

The point of this article is not to condone nor condemn these particular moments in popular culture history. Rather, it is an attempt to point out how particular actions not immediately understood by society were deemed amoral and socially inappropriate. These actions did not fit within the bubble of mainstream culture. Our particular way of functioning has rules, and this behaviour found in music, film, or culture in general opposes rules. They were pushing the envelope of what was deemed acceptable.

As mentioned prior, it is only when society allows itself to adapt and expand its understanding of what is acceptable that this sort of behaviour becomes flavourless and deemed safe. Thinking about it today, is Marilyn Manson still controversial? Maybe yes, but largely No, and it’s because society has engulfed him into their sense of cultural understanding. Because they have allowed themselves to open their minds, his behaviour is not as startling as it was back in the mid 90s.

In regards to the violence in Bonnie and Clyde, it is now considered tame in regards to what films now depict. And thinking that Elvis and The Beatles were ever controversial is actually quite amusing nowadays, but back in the 50’s and 60’s, society was shocked by such behaviour. In order to compensate, they had to adjust and learn to accept it for what it was. You see, society will always find a way to adapt, and once they do, outsiders will always be tamed.

But as it is a continuous pattern, every so often, someone or something will attempt to exert force against the ‘what is deemed acceptable’ barrier. And through our eventual acceptance, the bubble we live in will continue to expand at an excessive rate, and will forever do so. Nothing remains controversial for too long****.

*On a daily basis, the qualities that define us as individuals are criticized by others for their inability to gel with our social and cultural norms. Ideas and behaviour that are misunderstood or deemed foreign to a culture’s dominant ideology are immediately deemed as dangerous and misunderstood.

** To this day, audiences are still unsure if the sex was actually simulated or real. In fact, there are still rampant rumours that indicate that the sex was actually real. BUT, I have read a few articles that simply state that these rumours are false. So, in retrospect, I have come to no conclusion on this topic.

***There are far more examples, but I think you get the point. Controversy, like breathing, has become a staple of popular culture.

****Many individuals know that being controversial is a wonderful marketing tool to gain popularity. Any publicity is good publicity. Why did Marilyn Manson stand out in the 90s? Because he took a taboo topic like devil worship and brazenly shoved it into mainstream culture’s face. As well, Eminem is merely a character created by Marshall Mathers. Eminem is an alter ego, and commits unsavoury acts that are highly controversial (this duality is an interesting topic to discuss in a future article), but they are controversial because they exist outside of the social bubble. If you notice now, Eminem is not deemed as dangerous as he was back when he first emerged as a mainstream artist. Society now understands him. Eminem and Manson are now situated firmly within the bubble of mainstream culture. But soon, some other act will be introduced to make our jaws drop.

After watching ‘Rocky IV’, one thing is clear to me-Rocky Balboa should be employed by the UN as a peacekeeper. Though the man is capable of taking action when necessary, it’s his gift for gab that has nations disposing of their belief systems.

Case in point

At the end of ‘Rocky IV’, Rocky and Ivan Drago (The ‘evil’ Russian boxer) have just completed an epic 15 round battle that has seen Rocky come out on top as victor. The match has taken place in Russia during the reign of Communism. They haven’t liked Rocky from the start, nor have they cared for his wild, fun-loving American ways.

But we know better. We know that he will change them, because that’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?

Rocky, on the other hand, is not here to initially make friends with the Russians. He is here to avenge the death of Apollo Creed, who was killed by Drago in a boxing match in Vegas (I believe he had it coming, since Apollo flamboyantly came down to the ring dancing and singing to James Brown’s ‘Living in America’-I’m surprised Russia didn’t revoke our vodka privileges after this outrageous incident) . But anyways, Rocky wants vengeance, and of course, he gets it done. But inexplicably, during the course of the match, the Russians begin to cheer for Rocky. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe turning on your country in favour of your opposition is a big mistake (As I remember it, America and Russia were not close friends in 1985). Think about this in another context-If you’re Canadian, and Canada is facing off against the United States in a hockey championship game, would you really begin to side with the Americans simply because they have shown heart and perseverance? Highly doubtful.

But it doesn’t end there. As a result of these Russian Benedict Arnold’s, Rocky takes the microphone after the fight, and decides that he can further persuade these people to vote America.

Here is what Rocky says to the Russians:

“During this fight, I’ve seen a lot of changing, in the way you feel about me, and in the way I feel about you. In here, there were two guys killing each other, but I guess that’s better than twenty million. I guess what I’m trying to say, is that if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!”

Immediately after this Martin Luther King-esque speech, the Russians are unable to contain their emotions, and rise to their feet with applause.

So let’s get this straight. Communist Russia has resisted interference from American government institutions for nearly three quarters of a century, but when they encounter an American boxer, they cannot resist his simplistic views of world peace. Even better is the fact that after Rocky sells this peace to the Russians (after beating their champion), he has the audacity to flaunt his American flag in the Russian ring like he’s eating a burger in front of a starving child. But of course the Russians are not mad. They continue to applaud his insensitivity to their cultural norms. Even their government stands up and applauds, which basically states “You know what, even though Communism has been our cultural ideology since 1912, we have made a mistake…Thank Goodness that Rocky fella showed up and opened our eyes”.

Strangely, Communism in Russia was abolished in 1991, just six years after Rocky IV was released. Hmm, maybe Rocky was onto something.

*Of note, the beginning of Rocky V starts immediately after part 4, and depicts Balboa suffering from the early stages of brain damage. Perhaps the Russians shouldn’t have taken him so literally.

Rebellious. Controversial. Aggressive. Fearless. Anti-Authority. These are but some of the characteristics that help to define the role of the rock star in modern day society. Rock stars are unafraid to push the limits of an established set of rules. They constantly question authority and live to upend the social structures that help to define it. Their belief’s become their passions, and they strive to share these with the surrounding world. Their aura is intoxicating and inspires others to follow their way of life. This is the life of a rock star. This is the unofficial motto of Rockstar Games.

The Influence of Grand Theft Auto

It is quite difficult to imagine that anyone is unaware of the modes of entertainment developed by Rockstar Games. To be quite honest, the company has formulated a solid and definitive identity through its games, and their influence has reached staggering levels as a result. The Warriors, Red Dead Revolver, Manhunt, oh yeah, and something called Grand Theft Auto (GTA) are just some of the titles that have been released under the Rockstar name. These games are extreme and in some critics’ eyes (government officials, religious groups and parents), they have come to represent a decrease in established rules and moral codes. In other words, they have pushed the limits of what has been deemed acceptable by society. However, it is impossible to ignore the influence some of these games have had on the gaming world. Without Grand Theft Auto, would there even be games like The Getaway or The Godfather? Would The Warriors or Manhunt ever have been conceived if it were not for Rockstar Games and their Grand Theft Auto series?

Rock stars are uninhibited. They don’t follow the trends; they set the trends. People come to admire their work and try to emulate it somehow in their lives. The same can be said for Rockstar Games. Other companies, desperate for a mega-hit, witness the unbelievable success of the Grand Theft Auto series, and begin to envy the recognition the games receive. As a result, similar games begin to emerge on the market and exploit the popularity of the GTA name. As it is with any entertainment medium, the success of one creates many doppelgangers. Games such as Saints Row and True Crime: New York City, are clearly inspired in terms of style and game play by the GTA series.

The Importance of Grand Theft Auto

The Grand Theft Auto series has created countless imitators, some good and some bad. Rockstar Games had extreme faith in this series and put a tremendous amount of effort into rejuvenating the video game industry in 2001 with the release of Grand Theft Auto III. The game changed the way games would forever be played because of the amount of detail involved. The game had it all. It was a crime game, a racing game, a strategical game. The best thing about the Grand Theft Auto III was not its main or side missions but rather its gift to the gamer of allowing one to roam freely around the video game environment provided. One could go anywhere; do anything without affecting the storyline in anyway. This was a new wave in video game artistry. This was the breath that possibly saved the video game world from imminent death.

The Controversy of Rockstar Games

However, there are some that find Rockstar Games highly influential in other, not so positive ways. To some (government authority figures and concerned parents), Rockstar promotes violence, sexual attacks, debauchery, theft and lust. To be honest, Rockstar Games do include many adult oriented themes not intended for children. These games are rated M for Mature for a reason (ESRB rating system). The violence is extreme, as is the case in Manhunt. The sex is indecent, as is the case in Grand Theft Auto. The point is, is that Rockstar Games is attempting to push the limits of what is deemed acceptable by society in the present day. They don’t merely do this for their own personal gratification but rather to challenge and question the rules that are deemed justifiable by the higher ups of society.

Anything innovative that is not confined within the walls of acceptable behavior has always been deemed inappropriate and anti-establishment. As a result, controversy has always existed in relation to all forms of art. In the films Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Midnight Cowboy (1969), both strived to push the limits of violence and sexuality, respectively. This was a new era that strived to do something different. Controversy is still seen today in films such as Pulp Fiction (1994), The Matrix (1999) and Saw (2004). In music, Eminem and Marilyn Manson were deemed controversial and blamed for many violent crimes, like the Columbine shootings. These were not artists that attempted to conform and thus were labeled as indecent and amoral. To be confined is to be constricted in movement, in thought, and in free will.

There is no way to prove that violence in video games has anything to do with violence in the real world. It’s an easy cop out by government officials to solely blame the media when there are so many other factors at play. Rockstar Games is important to the industry; they strive to work outside the box by attempting to challenge society’s established rules. There are more extreme games out there in regards to violence and sexuality; however, Rockstar Games have strived to clearly identify themselves as a pioneer in this market. Without Bonnie and Clyde, how would film critique the use of violence in cinema and its relation to society? Without All in the Family (1971-1979), would television be as open minded to the issues surrounding race and politics?

Conclusion

Where would culture be without controversy and change? To evolve is to constantly change. Rockstar Games is a true representation of transition in the video game industry. Not because it promotes indecent behavior, but rather because it cares about the industry and its future. Change was needed in the industry and Rockstar Games stepped up. The rebel of the video game industry, Rockstar Games truly lives up to the name.