Ryan Gosling is grateful for the life he’s built, but he’s even more grateful for finding the girl of his dreams to share it with.
The “Barbie” actor, 43, took the time to honor his longtime partner Eva Mendes in his acceptance speech at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Saturday night.
Gosling made sure to praise his leading lady as he picked up the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at the star-studded event.
“Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children,” Gosling said after noting that his career in acting has enabled him to portray many different roles on screen.
“I dreamed of one day making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream,” he added.
The couple shares daughters Esmeralda, nine, and Amada, seven.
In his speech, Gosling admitted that he was “not prepared” for the moment, joking that he “should have had more champagne.”
The “La La Land” actor paid tribute to “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig in his speech, as well as actor Steve Carrell.
“It’s hard to imagine being at a point in my career where I’m standing up here tonight,” he said. “It’s just that it’s Kirk Douglas. He’s one of the first true icons of cinema … he is completely and utterly in the class of his own, and I’m … just Ken?”
“Up until this point, I’ve only ever thought about just how much cinema had done for me. I had never really thought about what I’ve done for cinema, as far back as I can remember.”
Gosling also paid tribute to his mom Donna, who “found my weak spot” in acting during his younger years, and selflessly homeschooled him “to show me how to create my own story.”
“That open door wasn’t an elevator that went straight to the top, but I was able to help my mom pay the rent. And by playing other people, I was learning who I was in the process,” he added.
Even though Gosling and Mendes have been together for 13 years, a public shout out — let alone appearance — is rare for the couple.
Last year, Mendes revealed the unique reason she and Gosling don’t appear on red carpets together.
“The Other Guys” actress said she cherishes her privacy so much that she refuses to let the cameras see them together.
After sharing an Instagram clip from the pair’s first film together, “The Place Beyond The Pines” during which they struck up a romance off-set in 2012, Mendes was asked why she doesn’t post more snaps with the actor.
“What a cool comment, thank you,” Mendes, 49, wrote in response to a fan wanting her to appear on the red carpet for Gosling’s “Barbie” film. “But we don’t do those things together.”
For more Page Six you love …
“Like these photos I’ve been posting, I’m only comfortable posting because it’s already out there,” she added.
In a follow-up comment on the same post, Mendes added that she only appeared on the red carpet once with her beau.
“Oh wait -for those who may catch me in a ‘lie’ -we only were on the red carpet together once when promoting this film,” she noted.
When asked to clarify why she didn’t feel comfortable posting images of the pair together, she wrote, “By ‘not comfortable,’ I mean exposing our very private life that we value. I’m still dying to do another movie with him though…♥️.”
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Page
