Before he was an Oscar-nominated superstar, Ryan Gosling got his start in a much more local setting: small-town weddings. During a recent visit to 'The Drew Barrymore Show,' the 45-year-old actor looked back on the colourful family history that led him to the stage, specifically crediting his uncle, who was a dedicated Elvis Presley impersonator.
Ryan Gosling's Childhood Memory
Gosling shared a vivid memory from when he was just eight years old, coming home from school to find his uncle in the living room bedazzling a white jumpsuit with a massive eagle on the back. When Ryan asked what was going on, his uncle simply told him that he was going to be Elvis for a while. True to his word, his uncle fully committed to the role, adopting Elvis' voice, singing style, and even practising karate in the backyard.
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Watching his uncle transform like that gave a young Ryan Gosling an early lesson in method acting. He told Barrymore that he remains incredibly grateful for the experience because it completely changed his family's life. In their small town in Ontario, Canada, his uncle's performances became a major event at the local mall. Gosling recalled how neighbours would show up in droves, and the atmosphere was so electric that others would join in with their own hidden talents, like the local grocery store worker suddenly delivering a show-stopping vocal performance.
For Ryan Gosling, these moments were liberating. He realised early on that the stage allowed people to reveal who they truly were. When his uncle eventually stopped performing, Ryan and his sister decided to keep the momentum going themselves. This led to a rather hilarious first job: Ryan became a child wedding singer.
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He laughed as he remembered being paid 20 dollars to get down on one knee and sing to the bride during the garter ceremony. Looking back, he joked about how strange it was that anyone thought it was a good idea to have an eight-year-old involved in that particular wedding tradition, noting that his main focus at the time was simply making sure he got his 20 bucks. Those early gigs clearly paid off, as he joined the cast of 'The Mickey Mouse Club' just a few years later.
