With Ryan Gosling being cast as Ken in the upcomingBarbiemovie, movie fans are curious to see what his portrayal will be like. The actor is famous for both light-hearted and meatier roles, as he played a depressed husband inBlue Valentine(2010) but also the sweet love interest Jacob inCrazy, Stupid, Love(2011) and famous Neil Armstrong inThe First Man(2018).
When Ryan Gosling was a child actor, he stared in many TV shows, including playing Sean Hanlon on the beloved young adult seriesBreaker High. Gosling also starred in two episodes of some popular ’90s horror TV shows.
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Ryan Gosling played Greg Banks in theGoosebumpsseason 1 episode “Say Cheese and Die.” While there are someactually scaryGoosebumpsepisodes, this one is pure cheesy fun. Greg finds an old camera one day and begins using it, thrilled to have found a new hobby that he likes. But then something strange and horrifying happens: the photos begin showing creepy things. When Greg takes a photo of people, the photo shows them as skeletons. When Greg takes a photo of his friend Shari, she isn’t in the photo, and then she goes missing. The story also focuses on an older man named “Spidey” who lives in an old, abandoned building where Greg finds the camera. It turns out that Spidey invented this camera but it went horribly wrong and now it’s evil.
There are manynostalgic ’90s kids horror shows, and this episode ofGoosebumpsstands out thanks to Ryan Gosling’s great acting. Gosling perfectly portrays a child who is lost, scared, and confused. Since no one believes Greg, he becomes a strong, tough character who knows that he’s on the right track and has to fight to save his friends and family before it’s too late.’90s horror shows aimed at childrenworked so well because they were just creepy and unnerving enough while also telling sweet, relatable stories about kids growing up and trying to assert their independence and have fun.
Ryan Gosling also starred in theAre You Afraid Of The Dark?season 5 episode “The Tale Of Station 109.1” The Midnight Society member Stig (Codie Wilbee) tells the story in a memorable way, asking his friends to take radios to the meeting, asking them to play music, and then asking for silence before starting the scary tale.
Jamie Leary is a regular kid, but his brother Chris loves talking about death and wears black all the time. Jamie plays a prank on Chris but then the two begin listening to a radio station that creeps them out. When Chris goes to the building where Station 109.1 broadcasts from, he finds elderly people there and learns that this is a radio station for the afterlife. After almost getting killed, Chris learns his lesson and he and Jamie go back their normal lives.
Someepisodes ofAre You Afraid Of The Dark?are really scary, and this one shows off Gosling’s acting chops. As an adult, Gosling is endearing, charming, and sweet, playing the lead in romantic movies likeCrazy Stupid LoveandLa La Land. He is the kind of actor who audiences connect with and love watching. This was also true when Ryan Gosling was a kid, as he brings his likable energy to the character of Jamie, who worries that his brother is too obsessed with death and then has to help save him and bring life back to normal. Gosling also portrays Greg smartly, as Greg knows that deep down, there is evil inside of this camera, and it’s up to him to figure out how to stop it. It’s hard to look away from the episode as the story is interesting and exciting.
Goosebumpshad great practical effectsand also strong performances from child actors. Ryan Gosling plays hisGoosebumpsandAre You Afraid Of The Dark?characters perfectly as he is relatable and believable as a kid experiencing something wild, intense, surprising, and confusing.
The success of each episode from these beloved TV shows rests on how well each actor sells the creepy, scary situation that they’re in. Gosling does a great job in both episodes as he acts the way a child really would: shocked at what’s going on but determined to solve the mystery and tell the grown-ups in their life that they’re right, the evil is real, and something bad really is happening. Fans have happy memories of bothGoosebumpsandAre You Afraid Of The Dark?because the scary stories have such staying power. Both Greg and Jamie feel like realistic characters and it’s fun taking a trip down memory lane and seeing Ryan Gosling’s early work.
