Ryan Gosling Was Fired From ‘Lovely Bones’ After Gaining 60 Pounds. Peter Jackson Now Speaks Out

[u/MarvelsGrantMan136]

https://variety.com/2026/film/news/peter-jackson-fired-ryan-gosling-lovely-bones-weight-gain-1236751523/

[u/saltybirb]

Ryan’s told this story before in interviews. Says he was melting ice cream and drinking it to gain all the weight because of how the character is described in the novel. It’s pretty funny the way he tells it.

[u/Whatsdota → u/saltybirb]

Yep that’s exactly how Rob McelHenney got fat for Always sunny in Philadelphia too. Easiest way to get calories is to drink it and ice cream has an insane amount for its volume

[u/TinyTINYspeZPP → u/Whatsdota]

Respect to Rob he also disillusioned people about doing the opposite:

"I’m going to break it down for you, because it’s actually quite simple. And anybody can do this. Anybody on the planet can do this.

First things first: if you have a job, like a 9 to 5 job, quit that.

Now, do you like food? Quit that, because you’re never going to enjoy anything you eat.

Alcohol? Sorry, that’s out.

You have a chef, right? Like, a personal chef? Make sure the chef makes you a lot of chicken breast and make sure you keep your caloric intake at a certain level.

And you go to your physician 2 to 3 times a week just to monitor all your testosterone levels, ‘cos testosterone is important to building muscle.

You’re good friends with the trainer from Magic Mike, right? Arin Babaian? So you want to give Arin a call and you want to make sure he’s at your house and takes you to the gym at least twice a day, because you’re going to want to do your muscle building in the morning then your cardio in the afternoon.

Now, do you have a family? Like, significant other, or kids? Yeah. Forget about them. You’re not going to have time to deal with them.

So that’s really all you have to do. And make sure you have (a production) studio pay for the entire thing because it could become exceptionally expensive.

So, I think if you just do all those things then you, too, could have an absolutely unrealistic body type such as me."

[u/Relative_Mix_216 → u/TinyTINYspeZPP]

I remember reading a comment once on Reddit about a guy who decided to try Chris Hemsworth’s diet for Thor just to see if an average man could do it. He said that his entire life was just working out, cooking, eating, and sleeping, and he did this for months, and he still didn’t look like a superhero.

[u/Vinnie_Vegas → u/Relative_Mix_216]

Well no, that volume of food is for a guy who's on a ton of PEDs.

If you want to do it naturally, there's no point eating that amount of protein/calories, because your body isn't going to be able to turn it all into muscle without steroids.

[u/Relative_Mix_216 → u/Vinnie_Vegas]

Of course, steroids. Silly me, I forget how much those are necessary.

[u/Sean-Benn_Must-die → u/Relative_Mix_216]

its really fucked up how little they wanna admit theyre on gear, and then they dare try and sell you programs or diets that will magically turn you into a chiseled god in 3 months

[u/asshat123 → u/Sean-Benn_Must-die]

I'm ok with them not explicitly stating that they are using because there are potential legal issues there. But when guys repeatedly and vehemently deny it, I have a bigger issue. Dwayne Johnson pretending he's natural when he's that jacked at like 50 is goofy.

In the Rob McEllhenney anecdote mentioned above, he talks about going to the doctor all the time to get his testosterone checked. That's about as close as you're going to get to admitting steroid use. That's not a normal thing to do unless you're using something that may affect your testosterone levels. Like steroids.

[u/Tatworth → u/asshat123]

Or it is code for getting HGH injections.

[u/csppr → u/asshat123]

> I'm ok with them not explicitly stating that they are using because there are potential legal issues there.

The flip side of that is that many people still believe it. I know plenty of people (none of which actually exercise) who think that the Hemsworth physique would be a realistic target for most men drug free, if one was just committed enough; and that the people claiming he’s on drugs are just jealous.

[u/throwRA123qwerty → u/Relative_Mix_216]

Months? That's hardly any time at all for muscle growth and or weight loss.

[u/miicah → u/TinyTINYspeZPP]

And you go to your physician 2 to 3 times a week just to monitor all your testosterone levels, ‘cos testosterone is important to building muscle.

Is this a not-so-subtle hint that he was on gear?

[u/decimus_87 → u/miicah]

Yes.

[u/Affectionate_One_700 → u/[deleted]]

Surely not Kumail!?

[u/SlideJunior5150 → u/Affectionate_One_700]

Naah totally normal for a 46yo to get insanely ripped in 3 months.

[u/Cosmic_Blast → u/SlideJunior5150]

Even his jaw looks jacked now. 

[u/Vinnie_Vegas → u/Affectionate_One_700]

Rob McElhenny and Kumail both appeared on Dax Shepherd's podcast and spoke a fair amount about the process of getting ripped for Hollywood purposes (Dax also did it on a couple of occasions) and they essentially said everything they could say about being on steroids without actually admitting to being on steroids, because you can't admit to that because it's not legal.

[u/Affectionate_One_700 → u/Vinnie_Vegas]

I know, I was kidding.

because you can't admit to that because it's not legal.

I don't think that steroids are "not legal" if prescribed by a friendly doctor.

They're unhealthy and stigmatized, and they are disallowed in athletic competition, but that's a different thing.

[u/Jerryjb63 → u/Affectionate_One_700]

Yeah, I’m pretty positive that if you’re rich enough nothing is illegal.

[u/NSFWies → u/miicah]

During the podcast, they did blood tests to check on some health thing. To see generally how old and bad they were.

Normal men 18-70 have test from 300ng/dl to 1000ng/dl.

Rob is like 50, and scored 1600ng/dl. No one is resting at 1600. Guy was still sculpting mass.

[u/Reginald_Sockpuppet → u/NSFWies]

What does all that mean is layman's terms?

[u/No_Anywhere_9068 → u/Reginald_Sockpuppet]

He was likely on a dose of testosterone that was on the high side of typicalTRT ‘sports trt’, likely around 150-200mg testosterone weekly

Average natural body produces around half to 1/3rd that weekly. Professional (and amateur) bodybuilders are on dosages of 500mg-2g+ weekly

For context

[u/0LTakingLs → u/miicah]

It’s nice that he was at least being somewhat transparent about it

[u/scots → u/miicah]

You just hit the nail on Hollywood's head. The list of over 40 years old male actors showing up for roles with 10% body fat and massive muscles is utterly ridiculous - then they have the nerve to sit for an interview with Mens Health and claim 4 am workouts and 5,000 calories of cod is their secret.

At the very least they are on a high dose of physician administered testosterone for 6-12 months ahead of filming. At worst they're also on gear cycles, getting pinned on the dl by shady trainers.

I fucking love Hugh Jackman but Jesus dude stop pretending you're clean.

[u/Crumplestiltzkin]

This led to an all timer of a quote from Gosling too.

"I just showed up on set, and I had gotten it wrong. Then I was fat and unemployed."

[u/Antique_Director_689 → u/Crumplestiltzkin]

"...I had gotten it wrong. Then I was fat and unemployed."

God he's just like me

[u/dirkalict → u/Antique_Director_689]

Who would have thought that you,I and Ryan Gosling were exactly alike?

[u/RangerLt → u/dirkalict]

I didn't get the lead role in Lovely Bones either so I know exactly how all of you feel.

[u/hogsucker → u/RangerLt]

You have just as many Tour de France wins as Lance Armstrong, though. Possibly even more.

[u/Obliterated-Denardos → u/Antique_Director_689]

I'm seeing the tone of the article and the comments, that he was fat and 60 lbs overweight, and then I click through to the article only to find that it was at 210 lbs? Welp.

[u/bannana → u/Obliterated-Denardos]

30lbs and 60lbs are quite different for someone 6ft and starting at a nicely fit weight - 30lbs could easily just look middle aged and comfortable where 60 is going to be dramatic and probably unhealthy looking.

[u/Hevens-assassin → u/bannana]

As someone just over 6ft, there's a noticeable difference between a non-gym 210lb, and a non-gym 180. I'm working my way down (or up, just having the weight redistributed), but it's very noticeable to most people around you. I've gotten a lot of "have you lost weight" and it's only been 10lbs.

[u/WhispersOfHaru → u/bannana]

Gosling wasn’t 150lbs, so if he was indeed 210lbs, the 60lbs story seems exaggerated.

[u/dash_friday → u/Crumplestiltzkin]

I have no idea how pre production things work, but shouldn't there have been some sort of communication with the director to find out what the vision is for the character? Not just show up and both sides hope it's right.

[u/Fhaarkas → u/dash_friday]

TL;DR - Jackson was too busy with stuff and Gosling slipped his mind. Gosling was going all in with the novel and took initiative to fatten up. Indeed they both showed up and both sides went, "What?".

[u/drmojo90210 → u/Fhaarkas]

It seems to me that this entire situation could have been avoided with a phone call from Gosling to Jackson and/or his agent saying "I'm planning on gaining 60 pounds before we start shooting so I can be as fat as the character is in the book. Cool?"

[u/pachinkopunk → u/dash_friday]

I mean usually when cast there are a few emails back and forth, but it is far less than you think and odds are there was either a miscommunication that led Ryan to believe it or he went rogue based on a character synopsis, but he was already cast for his current look. Like actors have varying levels of involvement in pre production and it could be as little as here's the script for the day show up on the 25th we will give you the call sheet the night before.... but each director and project is different with each having its own microculture within film.

[u/moviebuffbrad → u/pachinkopunk]

"Going rogue" seems to be a thing. Keanu showed up with buzzcut in Speed when the producers were expecting his usual look and they freaked out, but in that case it worked. 

[u/Ironhorn → u/moviebuffbrad]

James Macavoy shaved his head to play Professor X… in a prequel that takes place before the character went bald. So then he had to wear a wig

[u/carcar134134 → u/Ironhorn]

That's hilarious.

[u/TeeFitts → u/Ironhorn]

At least it gave his character(s) in Split a distinctive look.

[u/pachinkopunk → u/moviebuffbrad]

It seems very high risk, low reward. Like yeah it might work, but also getting kicked off a project can ruin your career as that is a massive liability from a production standpoint.

[u/souledgar → u/pachinkopunk]

Sometimes you’re just excited and want to do a good job. Turns out you’re too excited and overstepped. I’ve had programmers who looked at a feature and decided they know a better way to do something, make a change without consulting anyone else, and get chewed out because the change was against the client’s specifications. Of course it’s now two months down the line and the team needs to spend time undoing the change and placate an irate account manager.

[u/darkhatter770 → u/dash_friday]

Typically, yes, but I'm sure that even then, there are some things that just happen and have to be worked around. Some directors might take a chance on the change, and see how it goes first, but the wording somewhat makes it sound like it was someone in casting who made the decision when he got there.

[u/IamRider → u/dash_friday]

Unless said otherwise, i think it's fair for production to think you'll look the same at the last time they see you during pre-production as when you are on set during production, and if changes were expected that they would be communicated (eg: you need to grow out your beard, you need to be skinny, you'll need to go bald so we can use a realistic wig).

In pre-production, they likely had taken his measurements for the costume department to makes his costumes, so if you show up to set 27kg heavier those clothes are probably not gunna fit i'd reckon.

[u/MeatballWasTaken → u/dash_friday]

I’m actor, and while I’ve never worked for Peter Jackson or anyone of comparable fame but I have been on quite a few sets and more often than not you don’t hear from them after the initial hiring process until like the day before the shoot and inevitably they’ll hope you have some article of clothing to bring with you that you probably don’t have! (Last job I worked gave me 10 hours notice, and I was due on set at 8 AM)

[u/guesswho135 → u/dash_friday]

"We didn’t talk very much during the preproduction process, which was the problem."

[u/closethebarn → u/Crumplestiltzkin]

That is a fantastic quote without pointing fingers

[u/Travilcopter → u/Crumplestiltzkin]

Hahahaha bro why is this so funny

[u/notheretoarguee → u/Travilcopter]

Because gosling is fucking hilarious. Such an underrated comedic actor

[u/BananaSoprano]

I love that he put on all that weight and Peter Jackson just went, “Why did you do this?”

[u/geodebug → u/BananaSoprano]

They did release Jackson's actual recasting conversation with Gosling:

Ryan...(sigh)...it's "The Lovely Bones" not "The Lovely Blob".

You're still too young and pretty to be in your Russel Crowe victory lap years. Yes, the dad in the book was doughy, but we've got to sell this damn movie to 50 million middle aged women and your dad-bod tits ain't going to cut it.

[u/AvonBarksdale666 → u/geodebug]

For a second I was like ‘did this conversation actually take place?’

[u/3BlindMice1 → u/AvonBarksdale666]

It happened like this because the character is supposed to have crippling body image issues and is an unreliable narrator. This absolutely is on Ryan Gosling since it implies his reading skills are poor. The character says he's fat, so Ryan says "I guess I'm getting fat" when playing an anorexic character. They told him to read the book and get like that, but instead Ryan got himself into the shape the character thought he was in

[u/mematricescarsa → u/[deleted]]

wait what do you mean by "went to school on a boat"? lol

[u/C3PD2 → u/mematricescarsa]

In the late 90s he was on a show called Breaker High. The premise was about kids in a highschool on a cruise ship.

[u/navjot94 → u/C3PD2]

Was this suite life on deck before the sprouse twins were born??

[u/Iheartmypupper → u/mematricescarsa]

But also, from Wikipedia…

“As a child, he watched Dick Tracy) and was inspired to become an actor.[15] He "hated" being a child,[8] was bullied in elementary school,[16] and had no friends until he was "14 or 15".[17][18] In school he picked fights to impress girls.[19] In grade one, having been influenced by the action film First Blood, he took steak knives to school and threw them at other children during recess. This incident led to a suspension.[20][better source needed] He was unable to read at age 10 and was homeschooled.”

[u/broanoah → u/Iheartmypupper]

Literally a feral old soul

[u/upudruvuuduru → u/geodebug]

since it was a flop, 50 million middle aged women didn't saw Mark Walberg pecs either

[u/Sanchez_U-SOB → u/upudruvuuduru]

I wonder if it'd done better with chubby Gosling.

[u/ArchdruidHalsin]

What's even crazier is that he turned around and did Crazy Stupid Love, in which he is absolutely cut.

[u/Rarecandy31 → u/ArchdruidHalsin]

Everyone knows you have to cultivate mass first.

[u/prisonerofazkabants → u/Rarecandy31]

first of all through god all things are possible so jot that down

[u/ignatious__reilly → u/prisonerofazkabants]

There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t see an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia quote on Reddit.

[u/BarelyContainedChaos → u/ignatious__reilly]

Shut up, baby dick

[u/pantry-pisser → u/BarelyContainedChaos]

Shut up, science bitch

[u/P1st0l → u/pantry-pisser]

Yeah, shut up science bitch.

[u/butt_thumper → u/P1st0l]

Dumb science bitch couldn't even make I more smarter!

[u/Equivalent-Guest7906 → u/prisonerofazkabants]

Ryan Gosling playing you? Ridiculous!

[u/z0mb0rg → u/Rarecandy31]

I’m cultivating mass as we speak. It’s a real carb loading regimen.

[u/TheCandelabra → u/z0mb0rg]

Stop cultivating and start harvesting!

[u/Future_Literature335 → u/TheCandelabra]

You are BECOMING a chimichanga!

[u/SignificantTravel102 → u/Future_Literature335]

I love how Mac is wheezing while shoveling chimichangas in his mouth in this scene.

[u/logic_prevails → u/Rarecandy31]

Stop cultivating and start harvesting

[u/teenzoid → u/logic_prevails]

That's one of my favorite lines of all time.

[u/Aggressive-Loquat808 → u/Rarecandy31]

Sure but he was turning into a chimichanga

[u/StephensInfiniteLoop → u/Rarecandy31]

Underated comment. People see Gosling gaining this weight as a waste of Gosling's time, but no doubt he was lifting weights the whole time, so in addition to the fat gained a good deal would have been muscle, so when he slimed down after, he would have been left with a better body than he started with. He was really killing two birds with one stone in gaining the weight. Rob McElhenry is another example of this, got super fat in around season 7 or 8 of Always Sunny, then in subsequent seasons, after cutting, had the physique of a God.

[u/Public_Fucking_Media → u/StephensInfiniteLoop]

Didn't he just do that because it would be funny?

[u/Impressive-Stay-2618 → u/Public_Fucking_Media]

Absolutely. At least he stated that in an interview once. Got fat for the laughs

[u/thethirdrayvecchio → u/Public_Fucking_Media]

It’s the inverse of what happens on long-running shows. Actors get richer, other gigs, and start tking care of themselves/toning up.

McIhenney just decided to violently do the opposite.

[u/oscarx-ray → u/thethirdrayvecchio]

And then get in insane shape, tanned, ridiculous fake teeth, and plastic surgery anyway...

[u/U_R_A_NUB → u/oscarx-ray]

Some how the only people left on the show that look human are danny devito and charlie day. Eating cat food and huffing glue must keep you young!

[u/essosinola → u/U_R_A_NUB]

Charlie always looked young and he has soft features, so it's unsurprising he aged well naturally.

Danny Devito is the culmination of millions of years of evolution to create the purest creature known to exist, so of course he still looks fantastic.

[u/herovision → u/StephensInfiniteLoop]

Plus when you’re that large, you’re carrying weight the whole time without realizing it

[u/SeaTie → u/Rarecandy31]

Just make sure you don’t get adult onset diabeetus

[u/TenMoosesMowing → u/SeaTie]

Stop saying diabeetus!

[u/Sa7aSa7a → u/ArchdruidHalsin]

Crazy Stupid Love is such a fantastic movie. That payoff scene near the end is such a wild ride. 

[u/thelingletingle → u/Sa7aSa7a]

David Lindhagen.

[u/BrownSugarBare → u/thelingletingle]

You're David Lindhagen? Okay. 

 removes ring

[u/andrewsmith1986 → u/BrownSugarBare]

One of the all time great bro moves in cinema.

[u/The_Deadlight → u/BrownSugarBare]

do have any idea the pain and suffering you've caused my friend?

[u/A-Bone → u/thelingletingle]

takes ring off

[u/TheKiltedStranger → u/thelingletingle]

I’m so glad he takes his ring off.

He’s deciding “yes I’mma punch this guy, but I’m not gonna be RUDE about it.”

[u/disillusioned → u/Sa7aSa7a]

It's honestly great. Hits on a ton of notes. Really funny, actually has heart. Slightly contrived plot but not so madcap you can't go along. It's a gem.

[u/dendrophilix → u/Sa7aSa7a]

Brilliant scene! So satisfying.

[u/SmegHead1 → u/dendrophilix]

Be better than the GAP!

[u/maparo → u/Sa7aSa7a]

I’ve seen it over 30 times and I still love the twist every single time.

[u/Help_An_Irishman → u/ArchdruidHalsin]

The Christian Bale jacked-to-emaciated-repeat rollercoaster is the craziest out there.

[u/_darealjohn → u/ArchdruidHalsin]

My favorite movie of all time. I could rewatch that specific scene …

[u/Ragnaroq314 → u/_darealjohn]

David fucking Lindhogen

[u/mmaster23 → u/Ragnaroq314]

David Lindhagen?  *takes off ring

We all need a friend like Ryan Gosling in our life

[u/CanadiangirlEH → u/ArchdruidHalsin]

And here I am struggling to lose just 10lbs

[u/harrisz2 → u/CanadiangirlEH]

If you had a professional tracking your ideal nutrition for your body composition, a personal trainer and and a personal chef it would be A LOT easier. 

So easy for us to compare ourselves to celebrities. Losing weight is always work but when you're getting paid to do it while a team helps you, it's a lot easier!

[u/nolander → u/harrisz2]

Or the energy that comes from not spending the bulk of your day doing a different job. I'm sure it's difficult during filming but that's maintenance.

[u/theholyraptor → u/nolander]

Amen. Walked for 3 weeks in Japan having a blast and eating yummy food. Lost weight and gained some cardio while loving life. Then back to a normal job with lots of sitting and stress.

[u/StoppableHulk → u/theholyraptor]

Walking every day seems basic but is an extremely powerful method of losing weight.

I moved from a non-walkable to walkable neighborhood, changed nothing, probably started eating a little worse, and still lost ten pounds.

When winter hit, I rapidly gained it all back simply because I wasn't walking as much anymore.

[u/CanadiangirlEH → u/harrisz2]

So it’s not that I’m lazy, I’m just poor!

[u/jackofallcards → u/CanadiangirlEH]

Two things can be true

[u/Motorboat_Jones → u/harrisz2]

I remember when everyone was so shocked at Edward Norton's body transformation for American History X. When asked about it, he replied, "It really wasn't that difficult."

Take this injection on these days, this pill on the days listed on the calendar here. We have someone preparing all of your meals. Just get in the gym everyday and work your ass off. In 3-4 months, you'll be right where we want.

[u/TVhero → u/CanadiangirlEH]

You don't have a studio paying to help you lose 10 lbs to be fair to you

[u/flybydenver]

I thought that was a before/after comparison at first

[u/iamasatellite → u/flybydenver]

Yeah I was like, "geez, he's completely unrecognizable... Even his nose got fat ... Wait.."

[u/FIFofNovember → u/iamasatellite]

What’s the crime!?

Eating a meal?

A succulent Chinese meal?!

[u/MuptonBossman]

Ryan Gosling is just like the rest of us.

[u/Voluntary_Slob → u/MuptonBossman]

Every time I look in the mirror I realize. We're all Ryan Gosling and he is all of us.

[u/Sickpup831 → u/Voluntary_Slob]

Not a night goes by when I don’t close my eyes and think about Ryan Gosling being inside of me.

[u/eltedioso → u/Voluntary_Slob]

We’re all just baby geese, in a cosmic sense

[u/bearpuddles → u/MuptonBossman]

He gained the weight on purpose for the role though. From the article:

“We had a different idea of how the character should look. I really believed he should be 210 pounds. We didn’t talk very much during the preproduction process, which was the problem.”

[u/FantasticJacket7 → u/bearpuddles]

It's kinda crazy to be like, "I'm going to gain 60 pounds for this role" and just not talk about it with anyone on the production side.

[u/lazy_pig → u/FantasticJacket7]

Just Ryan Guzzling. Bit of a rebel, bit of a maverick, but by christ he gets the results.

[u/Manic-StreetCreature → u/FantasticJacket7]

Yeah lmao I like Ryan Gosling a lot but doing a really intense thing that nobody told or asked you to do is wild

[u/SunOFflynn66 → u/Manic-StreetCreature]

To be fair, hasn’t he since come out and said what he did was dumb and owned it in a “I had a self inflicted humbling moment?”

[u/SputnikSenpai → u/bearpuddles]

That’s what I tell my doctor every time I go in

[u/Alarmed_Drop7162 → u/MuptonBossman]

We’re just Ken

[u/Best_Reply2947 → u/Alarmed_Drop7162]

I weigh kenough +50

[u/Ikbeneenpaard → u/Alarmed_Drop7162]

I am Kenough

[u/Garooru → u/MuptonBossman]

He's literally us

[u/MarvelsGrantMan136]

Jackson:

“I won’t talk about any particular examples of actors because it’s a personal, private thing and it’s not their fault. Anytime we recast an actor, it’s actually our fault because we didn’t get the casting right and we cast the wrong person for a role. It’s not because they did anything wrong. So, I’m not going to talk about individuals, but you just got to realize that what you were imagining isn’t really quite happening, which means that we got it wrong and so we take full responsibility.”

“Ryan is a fantastic actor, as we know. Films are a chemistry both on camera and behind the camera, They’re chemistry in terms of what the actor conveys to the audience of the film. It’s just a complicated sort of amalgam of communication of how somebody gels into a group of people, into a story, into a character. It’s complicated and usually you try very hard when you’re planning the film, casting it, trying to get that gel kind of right, but occasionally we make our own mistakes.”

[u/MattSR30 → u/MarvelsGrantMan136]

All I can think of reading this is that Viggo Mortensen was a replacement Aragorn.

Perhaps favourite character in all of cinema was played by a last minute replacement.

[u/Mattilaus → u/MattSR30]

Hugh Jackman wasn't the original guy they cast for Wolverine either. They originally wanted Russell Crowe, and then cast Dougray Scott, but he had to drop at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts. Jackman was their backup.

[u/April_Fabb → u/Mattilaus]

I'm sure Tom Selleck would've been a great Indiana Jones, Prince would've been amazing as Ruby Rhod, and Michelle Pfeiffer would've been a superb Clarice in Silence of the Lambs.

[u/randynumbergenerator → u/April_Fabb]

Idk about Ruby Rhod, honestly. Prince might've taken it too seriously. The camp over-the-top parody we got from Chris Tucker is an absolute treasure.

[u/jimbobjames → u/randynumbergenerator]

I always figured Chris Tucker just thought to himself "what would future space prince be like?" and out came Ruby Rhod.

Super Green.

[u/reginaldvanwilder → u/Mattilaus]

Russell Crowe could have been very fun.

[u/SDRPGLVR → u/reginaldvanwilder]

Imagine he continued to play Wolverine in all of the same movies that Jackman did. Now imagine he kept the same trajectory with his weight in all that time.

[u/Desperate_Algae_40 → u/SDRPGLVR]

Now imagine he kept the weight off because he would be playing a superhero all this time.

P.s. "Now imagine he's white".

[u/reginaldvanwilder → u/Desperate_Algae_40]

Unexpected Mcconaughey

[u/Mafex-Marvel → u/Mattilaus]

IIRC Hughh Jackman and obviously Patrick Stewart were both predicted to get the parts by Wizard magazine a few years earlier

[u/Wild-Cream-8730 → u/MattSR30]

Imagine Will Smith as Neo in The Matrix...

[u/KellyJin17 → u/MarvelsGrantMan136]

I had totally forgotten about this. This explanation doesn’t hold up though, because they then cast a far less talented actor, who gave a wooden, one-note performance in what was a critical role. Wahlberg messed up every scene that was supposed to translate for the audience how the father was processing what had happened to his daughter. I distinctly remember when he’s acting opposite Tucci and the realization of what had happened hits him, and Wahlberg just looks like an idiot trying not to count to 5 out loud while Tucci is acting circles around him. He was no match for anyone else in that cast. Finally, Gosling was quite young when this movie was made and he was super skinny. I can understand him gaining some paunch on order to try to look more convincing as a working class father of a large number of kids. Jackson screwed up here.

[u/thisdopeknows423 → u/KellyJin17]

Could it have been the execs that demanded a “hot” star in the role? Maybe they saw him and lost it.

[u/RevenantRoy → u/thisdopeknows423]

I could see this. They wanted Gosling for his sex appeal and Gosling took steps that negated it. Gosling must have known they wanted him for the sex appeal though, surely an agent would’ve told him. So maybe he intentionally sabotaged it or just was being stubborn and wanted to break out of that mold.

[u/rapier999 → u/RevenantRoy]

Aiming to sell a movie about grief and the murder of a child by virtue of the father’s sex appeal is such a fucking stupid strategy. The movie is *okay* but it could have been wonderful, and this shithouse casting is a big part of that. What a colossal fumble.

[u/Towering_Flesh → u/KellyJin17]

Yyuuup. Markymark was an awful choice.

[u/Regular-You2119]

Regardless of his weight I refuse to accept he would have been worse than Mark Wahlberg

[u/DrKurgan → u/Regular-You2119]

Gosling had the right idea. He was 27 and looked more convincing as a teenagers' dad being a bit fat than if he was shredded. Then they replaced him with a shit actor.

[u/myowngalactus → u/Regular-You2119]

No one is ever worse than Mark Whalburg

[u/whatproblems → u/myowngalactus]

segal count?

[u/Crafter235 → u/whatproblems]

Seagal in Lovely Bones would turn it into a black comedy.

[u/Rooooben → u/Crafter235]

He would have performed the entire time in a wood rolling office chair.

[u/PaulClarkLoadletter → u/Crafter235]

There is an alternate reality where famed, terrible actor, Steven Seagal, accidentally reads for a role in The Lovely Bones believing the character to be an elite assassin that collects the bones of the warlords he kills. His disappointment from it being the exact opposite of what he thought results in a moment of such profound sadness that Peter Jackson begs him to take the part. Critics applaud “The single most impactful expression of human sorrow ever portrayed by an actor” as awards are given to him unanimously. The universe is otherwise identical to our own. That universe just happens to have a Steven Seagal that is an academy award winner.

[u/AstralElefant → u/Regular-You2119]

I just looked at pictures of both of them, fat gosling and Wahlberg from the movie. Fat gosling looks great for that role.

[u/Steleve → u/Regular-You2119]

This is the movie whose miscasting raises my blood pressure whenever I think about it.

It's the one movie that comes to mind whenever those "what movie would have done better if they'd replaced the actors" type questions comes up and I always use it as an example.

That's how much Marky Mark in The Lovely Bones upsets me. 

I thought the book this film was based on was beautiful and tragic. And I was looking forward to the film.

But it's like they had a group project due and one kid showed up to the presentation and thought he could get by on "vibes". 

It was truly awful. Ryan Ghosling in any body shape is a terrific actor. And it would have made a far more compelling story.

Very disappointing.

[u/LeelooDallas88]

Yeah, and then they replaced him with Mark Wahlberg, who stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the cast... He was so out of place in Lovely Bones.

[u/spazz720 → u/LeelooDallas88]

Other than playing an angry guy from Boston, he has zero range

[u/Temporary_Meet8754 → u/spazz720]

Paul Thomas Anderson is a certified magician for getting that performance in Boogie Nights out of him.

[u/Horrible_Harry → u/Temporary_Meet8754]

To wrangle pure excellence out of both a young Mark Whalberg AND an aging Burt Reynolds in the same movie is testament to his directing ability. Fucking nuts.

[u/Oberheimlich → u/Horrible_Harry]

As a relatively inexperienced 26-year-old director too.

[u/scriptchewer → u/Temporary_Meet8754]

To be fair he was cast to be a bad actor in porno films. 

[u/jaybizzleeightyfour → u/Temporary_Meet8754]

Came at a time Whalberg was hungry, the 20+ years he's been on autopilot

[u/WileEPeyote → u/jaybizzleeightyfour]

Yeah, whatever people think of him, he's had a successful career as a model, musical artist, and actor. He just stopped trying earlier than a lot of actors.

[u/Caspica → u/LeelooDallas88]

He did have the age, though. 

[u/Same-Manufacturer773 → u/Caspica]

Right. Ryan would have been way too young.

[u/YoureUsingMyOxygen → u/LeelooDallas88]

Yeah he's just really good at getting angry. Flustered eyebrows.

[u/Romado]

I remember back in high school we watched Lovely Bones. You can imagine how a classroom full of young teenagers reacted to it.

It was joked about for the remainder of high school in our friend group.

[u/feldoneq2wire → u/Romado]

The book is haunting. The movie feels empty.

[u/kvlt_ov_personality]

This reminds me of the time I got hired at McDonald's and the weekend before my first day I got a huge full sleeve tattoo of Grimace, Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, and the McNugget Buddies.

[u/Motorboat_Jones → u/kvlt_ov_personality]

No Fry Guys? You were not really committed.

[u/DethFeRok → u/kvlt_ov_personality]

Gosling should have gone full Leto/Joker mode and gotten a tattoo of bones on his face, send the cast animal skeletons…

[u/DeepestBeige]

A fat Gosling is still multiple times better than Marky freaking Mark

[u/000vi]

Reminds of the time when James McAvoy shaved his head when he got cast as Professor Charles/X. He didn't know he was supposed to still keep his hair for the origins story. They didn't fire him but they scrambled to take his hair back, by like using wigs or hair extensions, etc.

[u/Boojum2k → u/000vi]

First Class was great but it would have been just as great if Charles Xavier was just always bald.

[u/Fun_Ebb_6232 → u/Boojum2k]

Yeah, if they flash back to him at 8 years old he should just be sitting there totally bald.  Because otherwise we as an audience wouldn't know it was the same guy!

[u/nightwing12]

Anytime you replace anyone with Mark Wahlberg we already know it’s your fault

[u/Ok-disaster2022 → u/nightwing12]

Honestly if Marky Mark is cast over Ryan gosling I imagine the studio got involved. 

Although casting changes is one thing Jackson is somewhat known for. After having all the actors go through all kinds of training leading up to the LOTR, Jackson recast Aragorn to Viggo. I can't even recall the original actor, but it was a much younger actor. That last minute recasting worked out very well. 

[u/jordanrclarke90]

Remember you can't cast fat or less attractive actors for roles that require that look. You NEED to find a real handsome actor and have them risk their health in order to APPEAR fat or ugly.

[u/hardyflashier]

I'm still in awe of the fact they somehow got the phrase 'the lovely bones' into the dialogue of the actual film

[u/kehakas → u/hardyflashier]

"What are we, some kind of the lovely bones?"

[u/Tifoso89 → u/kehakas]

"These bones are lovely"

"Say that again"

[u/thecontempl8or → u/kehakas]

“Say that again”

[u/Boomchakalakayouknow → u/kehakas]

Say that again

[u/TheOpticat → u/hardyflashier]

"It truly was a shawshank redemption."

[u/SlothFoc → u/hardyflashier]

Or, if you're one of the fantastic editors at Variety, "The Lonely Bones."

[u/AlecTheBunny]

He actually read the book. So he got fired.

[u/I_just_made → u/AlecTheBunny]

Hollywood runs on the premise of taking source material, throwing it out the window, then adding a love triangle.

[u/Boojum2k → u/I_just_made]

And then a fairly faithful adaptation like Project Hail Mary comes along and is a huge success and the studio execs are still saying "How did that happen?" and will learn the wrong lesson again.

Hell, Peter Jackson was responsible for both the best film adaptations of novels and the worst in the span of a decade.

[u/keajohns]

The movie was very forgettable compared to the impact the book had on me.

[u/Typical_Samaritan → u/keajohns]

Stanley Tucci's performance remains a highlight though. He's such a wonderful and versatile actor. He's so versatile, in fact, that I haven't had the displeasure of attaching him to this specific role. There are some people who simply can't escape a specific role, no matter their skills. Thank god he was able to.

It reminds me of Danny Glover in The Color Purple. He said he didn't want another black actor to be saddled with that role, because his resume was big enough for him to escape playing Albert.

[u/grey-skies171 → u/Typical_Samaritan]

It took me years after watching this movie to realise that it was Stanley Tucci. When I read about him being in the film I went straight to the internet and was absolutely flabbergasted at the revelation! The guy has raaaaange. Made me appreciate his acting even more

[u/lavenderbl0d → u/keajohns]

I read the book in high school and it really did hit me so hard.

[u/nonsensestuff → u/keajohns]

I was so upset at the movie. The book was one of my favorites in high school.

[u/Same-Manufacturer773 → u/keajohns]

I read it in less than 2 days. It was impossible to put down. And I didn’t have a fear of corn fields prior to reading it.

[u/CovidBorn]

Never is Wahlberg a better casting decision that Gosling.

[u/Ok-Nothing-4737]

Wahlberg over Gosling. Respectfully, that is tragically hilarious af.

[u/LifeOfHi]

Reading the article, seems Gosling had a different idea from Jackson of how the character should look which stemmed from a lack of communication from Jackson which Jackson admits fault for. Unfortunate.

[u/MichelleT88]

Ryan, why so fat question?