Ode to the compare and contrast blog. I might have known this one was inevitable, and fortunately, this topic was immensely exciting to research.
“Compare and contrast two figures from popular cinema.”
And so I began drumming up ideas and scribbling down some names. Eventually, this led me to two actors with somewhat opposite personalities but some pretty wicked similarities. Both hold very honorable accomplishments to their name, and both have plenty of room—and time—to grow. So without further adieu, let’s introduce the contenders: Ryan Gosling vs. Jake Gyllenhaal. Who is the most valuable player?
Let’s begin with pointing out the obvious similarities. Both were born within a month of each other in the year of 1980. They both have brown hair and blue eyes, one older sister, and a recent knack for playing the edgier roles. Gyllenhaal and Gosling have been referred to as “heartthrobs” and the two have devoted their time and money in promoting social causes as well as raising awareness about many crucial topics of interest. Ryan and Jake are indeed friends, and were both nominated for an Academy Award (Jake for Best Supporting Actor and Ryan for Best Actor) within a year of each other. Both lost, but moved on in their careers and recently came out with a string of movies that have relatively positive critical review.
The photographs above show Gosling on the left and Gyllenhaal on the right. While looks are valuable to the actors’ overall popularity, it may be hard to believe that looks are not, in fact, the deciding factor.
So, how are we to judge?
In finding the most valuable player, we must (you guessed it) compare and contrast on many different levels and categories.
Ryan Thomas Gosling grew up in the city of Cornwall in the easternmost parts of Ontario, Canada. His mother was a secretary and his father was a paper mill worker and both raised him and his sister in the Mormon religion. After his parents’ divorce early in his childhood, Ryan was bullied relentlessly in school. In 1st grade, he brought steak knives to school and threw them at his tormentors leading to his suspension. While in elementary school, Ryan was diagnosed with ADHD, which eventually led to his mother homeschooling him. When he was 12, Ryan and his mother moved to Florida after landing his first role as a performer in The Mickey Mouse Club. At the age of 17, Ryan dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
Meanwhile, Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal grew up in Los Angeles. His father is a film producer while his mother is a screenwriter. He is a descendent of the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family, and considers himself Jewish more than anything else. Despite his privileged lifestyle, his parents required him to volunteer at homeless shelters from an early age to instill gratitude for everything life has given him. Before he was even ten years old, Jake was receiving plenty of exposure to the filmmaking industry due to his family’s close ties in the business. He graduated high school and went on to study at Columbia University only to drop out after two years to focus on his acting career.
Six years and five films later, Ryan Gosling finally reached his breakthrough role. He was cast as the male lead in The Notebook, his co-star the now very successful Rachel McAdams. The Notebook was considered a sleeper hit, claiming instant unexpected popularity and is said to be “one of the best romantic movies of all time.” After its release in 2004, Gosling was a star. His exceptional performance in the film led to critical recognition, promoting him as an actor and two years later, he won the lead role in the independent film Half Nelson. His performance landed him an Academy Award nomination, along with four other very prestigious awards, finally winning the Best Actor Award at the Spirit Awards. After a long break from the filmmaking industry, Gosling reclaimed his success in the 2010 drama, Blue Valentine. The film was an “emotionally gripping examination of a marriage on the rocks” and introduced Ryan as a much edgier actor than his previous works. The same year, he starred opposite Kirsten Dunst in an even darker drama, All Good Things, inspired by the true story of Robert Durst and his suspected murder of his own wife. This year, Ryan has starred in three movies (post-production of his 4th) that have been box office hits. He played a cocky womanizer in his first comedy, Crazy, Stupid, Love, the unnamed lead in his first action film, Drive, and the lead role opposite George Clooney in the political thriller, The Ides of March.
Similar to Gosling, Gyllenhaal starred in his first role in the 2004 blockbuster, The Day After Tomorrow. While the “idea” of the film was popular, the movie itself fell flat. Jake then turned to a different kind of acting in his theatrical debut on the London stage. He received exceptional reviews and was even named the “Outstanding Newcomer” of the year with an Evening Standard Theatre Award. 2005 started a prolific year for Gyllenhaal, where he received critical recognition for his three films; Proof, Jarhead, and arguably his most popular work, Brokeback Mountain. Like Gosling’s The Notebook, Brokeback Mountain, was a huge milestone for Gyllenhaal’s career. While not a conventional love story, the film’s significance has been attributed to the fact that it is a portrayal of a same-sex love story. The film ended up winning four Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, and three Academy Awards. It also scored Ryan a nomination for an Academy Award as well as Screen Actors Guild and a victory for the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA. In 2007, Gyllenhaal starred in Zodiac, followed by the dark 2009 drama, Brothers, and in 2010, Prince of Persia as well as Love and Other Drugs. His last film was Source Code, which premiered in 2011. The aforementioned feature films, however, received relatively indifferent critic reviews.
As you can see, Gosling and Gyllenhaal both have an outstanding collection of achievements to put under their belt. With their careers far from expiration, they really have nothing but time to improve and grow in their craft. While Gosling is presently in the center of a whirlwind of remarkable films, Gyllenhaal has definitely trumped the previous in the award category. While Gyllenhaal slowly built his career with a slow and steady claim to fame, it only took one movie to make Gosling one of the most sought-after actors in America. This has its consequences, though, with the foreboding implications of a “tortoise & the hare” race. It is feared that after Gosling’s streak of successes this year, he will quietly fade into oblivion, doing a few mediocre films here and there. Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal seems to have completed these phases just a few years earlier, with his streak in 2005. However, his mediocre-stage is now.
While Jake Gyllenhaal is a more established actor, Gosling definitely has the potential to push much further beyond Gyllenhaal’s capabilities. Gosling did not have the means to start his career in acting at such an early age. He pioneered his own way to fame as a self-made strategist while Jake’s upbringing and connections gave him a tremendous advantage in the filmmaking industry. When it comes to the art of acting itself, with all accomplishments aside, the better actor is hard to decipher, considering the fact that opinion plays a huge role in the different styles of acting. Ryan Gosling tends to be absolutely astounding in his portrayal of very dark and serious roles while Jake Gyllenhaal is commendable at just about any genre. While Gosling adds a convincing aspect of edginess, Gyllenhaal adds a unique incorporation of his own special personality. Ryan’s natural ability, however, is known to surpass every competitor, while Jake’s acting talent is always spot-on. However, a decision is to be made. While both are extremely successful actors blessed with a tremendous career all before the age of 30, one must be named the more valuable player.
While each wins their own little battles, only one can win the war and the scale is surely tipped in Gosling’s favor. Even though Gyllenhaal’s foundation is sturdier, Gosling’s spontaneity in blowing his critics out of the water is undeniable. His accomplishments in acclaim do not add up to Gyllenhaal’s, but we have to remember, he had a late start. His shaky childhood shaped his remarkable capacity in being so edgy and interesting to watch, and his “dark and twisty” persona makes him simply an interesting figure as a celebrity. Furthermore, we should not doubt Gyllenhaal’s potential of reclaiming his popularity, as he is an outstanding actor who still has a bright future. But there is just something about Ryan and his irrevocable charisma that makes him the most valuable player.
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