Ryan Gosling Helped Shape STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER Far Beyond His Leading Role
Ryan Gosling apparently did a lot more on Star Wars: Starfighter than show up, hit his marks, and pretend pilot the fastest starship in the galaxy.
According to director Shawn Levy, Gosling became a major creative partner on the film, involving himself in details ranging from the performances to the lighting and even the fabric covering the walls.
He isn’t simply the star of Starfighter. He also served as an executive producer alongside Levy and Kathleen Kennedy, and it sounds like he had his fingerprints all over the creative process.
While speaking with People about working with Gosling, Levy explained what separates the actor from some of the other performers he’s collaborated with:
“Some actors are great muses, right? Some actors are just amazing on screen, and you’re inspired to tell that story. The thing about Gosling is he’s a great muse, and he’s inspiring, but he’s also a great partner.”
That partnership apparently involved Gosling paying attention to practically every element going into the movie.
“He thinks like a full-spectrum creative. He’s an artist. He’s an incredible actor, but he’s also thinking about the lighting and the fabric on the wall. He’s noticing everything.”
That sounds like an actor who understands the entire machine rather than concentrate solely on his own part of it. Levy described Gosling as a “fully proactive partner, both [for] views and collaborating.”
Gosling plays Kade Auberon in Star Wars: Starfighter, a cynical pilot who gets dragged into a dangerous mission involving the protection of a young boy from new threats.
The story takes place five years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with the galaxy still fractured and attempting to rebuild following the events of the sequel trilogy. The movie also involves the fastest starship in the galaxy.
That post-Rise of Skywalker period gives Levy and Gosling a pretty wide playground. Starfighter can explore a galaxy we recognize without being locked directly into the Skywalker Saga, and putting Gosling at the center as a pilot caught up in a dangerous mission feels like a fun way to jump into this next chapter.
The experience also seems to have created a strong working relationship between Gosling and Levy. The director said their collaboration became something both of them wanted to continue after finishing the Star Wars film.
“This collaboration felt really good to both of us. Trust developed. We found that we brought each other to better work because of each other. So after we wrapped, we just started talking about what else we might do together.”
They didn’t have to look very far. Gosling and Levy are already set to reunite for Marvel Studios’ Ghost Rider, with Gosling recently announced as the MCU’s flaming-skull antihero and Levy confirmed to direct.
Going directly from Star Wars to Ghost Rider is a pretty wild one-two punch, and Levy’s comments help explain why they were so eager to work together again.
If Star Wars: Starfighter works, we might end up seeing more than a cool Ryan Gosling performance at the center of it. We’ll be seeing a movie that Gosling helped shape from several different creative angles, right down to details most actors probably wouldn’t even be thinking about.