In watching “The Nice Guys,” starring Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe and newcomer Angourie Rice, there is no question that Los Angeles, circa 1970 is a huge part of this new movie from Warner Bros. Pictures that opens nationwide in theaters this Friday, May 20, 2016.
Nevertheless, in speaking candidly to Ryan Gosling about what appealed to him most about doing this action comedy alongside co-star Russell Crowe, the era was not a draw for Gosling.
“The seventies just seemed dirty and not in an interesting way,” shared Gosling on the era. “The 70s wasn’t the draw, but it was fun to do,” stated Gosling, a self identified child and proponent of the 80s.
However if the seventies weren’t of particular interest to Gosling, who is better known along with Crowe for his dramatic roles, it was the ability to flex comedic muscles that his fans and others might not expect him to be eager to showcase.
“I read it as an opportunity to really do a lot of physical comedy and take it to a broad place.” stated Gosling of his method, which in his opinion could dovetail nicely with director Shane Black’s original vision for the movie as a different sort of comedy specifically due to the unusual casting of Gosling and Crowe. ”
(Shane Black) cast us not because he thought we were funny, but because he thought it would be funny to have two guys that are so serious be in something so silly,” stated Gosling, continuing, “so even if Russell and I didn’t have the rapport that we have, I think it still would have worked on that level… we had a good time making it.”
As for the specific time on set that Gosling knew that he and Russell Crowe would actually have that comedic rapport, as is often way of good comedic chemistry, it came from the most unlikely and unglamourous of circumstances:
“One of our first scenes together was that bathroom stall scene, ” recounted Gosling. “I went early to set to figure out the door gag and I smelt smoke and I looked and Russell was (there) smoking. He was very seriously telling me how he thought the door could bounce better, and we were very seriously having this conversation as I had my pants around my ankles in a bathroom stall,” remembered Gosling, concluding: “I thought it was going to work.”
“The Nice Guys” from Warner Bros. Pictures, starring Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley and Kim Basinger opens nationwide in theaters on Friday, May 20, 2016.