Ryan Gosling has “trauma” when it comes to wearing wigs on-screen.
Project Hail Mary star Ryan Gosling
The 45-year-old actor donned faux shoulder-length hair and a bushy beard in Project Hail Mary as his character, science teacher Ryland Grace, first appears as a “space caveman”.
But Ryan does not wear wigs a lot following a brutal reaction from 63-year-old actor Steve Carell on the set of 2015’s The Big Short, in which Ryan donned a dark, curly wig to play Deutsche Bank trader Jared Vennett.
During Wednesday’s (18.03.26’s) episode of NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, Ryan explained: “I have a little bit of trauma because I went for a bit on this film, The Big Short.
“And when I stepped out in my wig and in costume, and I ran into Steve Carell, who was the first person I saw. He just stared at me. And he said, ‘Never do this again.’ I was like, ‘Damn it.’
“It’s the last thing you want [to hear from a scene partner]! Never do this again – and I didn’t until now!”
Seth, 52, jokingly assumed that Steve and Ryan never worked with each other again after that moment, to which the latter quipped: “I never spoke to him again.”
Project Hail Mary sees Ryland in space trying to save Earth from extinction, and he forms an unlikely connection with extraterrestrial Rocky.
And space has always fascinated Ryan – who has worked on other space films, including First Man, as well as the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter space opera.
The Hollywood star told the BBC: “[Space] can be hard to understand, but it’s important to find a way to make it accessible, but also feel realistic – funny things happen in dramatic and sad situations.
“Space in general has always been interesting to me, something that I want to understand and need to feel like I do.”
And Ryan thinks starring in space-themed movies has furthered his understanding of the subject.
He explained: “I think I’ll make another movie and I’ll get it, but I never do so, I just go back in and make another one from another angle.
“But obviously it’s infinite and very mysterious, so I don’t think I get the understanding I’m looking for, but the process is really gratifying.”
