1. He was cast in The Notebook because the director thought he wasn't cool or good-looking.
2. For real. This is what happened when Ryan met the director of The Notebook: "When I got there, he was standing in his backyard, and he looked at me and said, 'I want you to play this role because you're not like the other young actors out there in Hollywood. You're not handsome, you're not cool, you're just a regular guy who looks a bit nuts.'"
3. He once bought out an entire Girl Scout Cookie stand and handed them out to people on the street.
4. When he was a kid, Ryan filled a Fisher-Price Magic kit with steak knives, brought them to school, and threw them at kids at recess.
5. Ryan Gosling was supposed to play the lead in The Lovely Bones but was fired when he showed up on set weighing 210 pounds. He was cast when he weighed 150 pounds.
6. To gain all that weight he would melt Haagen Dazs and drink it when he was thirsty.
7. When he was a kid, he could do an absolutely epic rendition of "Everybody Dance Now."
8. Britney Spears used to play spin the bottle with him.
9. Ryan built the car he used in Drive. The director said, "Ryan wanted to build his own car. So the car, the Malibu, the old gray car he drives around, he built himself. He took it apart and put it back together."
10. He has a sister named Mandi.
11. When he was 12, he was on an episode of Goosebumps. He was also on an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark.
12. His childhood nickname was "Trouble."
13. Ryan built the table from The Notebook that he and Rachel McAdams consummated their relationship on.
14. He also made the Adirondack chairs in front of the house.
15. In 2007, the producer of Fracture had a hard time contacting Ryan Gosling to give him the script because he was living in a tent in the woods for reasons he won't disclose. Apparently he lived off the grid for two months.
16. After eating an awesome meal, Ryan, on a whim, decided to open a Moroccan restaurant in Beverly Hills called Tagine. It made him bankrupt and he had to do all the plumbing.
17. And yes, he even did the dishes.
18. Ryan Cabrera has a Ryan Gosling tattoo on his calf.
19. Ryan gave himself his own tattoo with a tattoo kit. It was supposed to be a bloody monster's hand but it looks more like a cactus.
20. He said: "One of my tattoos is supposed to be a monster's hand dropping a bloody heart but I did it myself with a tattoo kit so it looks like a cactus."
21. He actually kind of hates all tattoos. He said, "A tattoo should never be meaningful because at a certain point you're going to hate it, and it might as well make you laugh."
22. He believes there's an army of cats patrolling Disney World that comes out at night and eat all the mice.
23. During the first season of The Mickey Mouse Club, Ryan and his family lived in the Yogi Bear trailer park down the road from the studio.
24. After Hurricane Katrina he packed a car and headed to Mississippi to help build a monastery.
25. He worked at a sandwich shop after The Notebook.
26. His parents are Mormon after they were converted by missionaries knocking on their door.
27. Ryan took ballet but stopped because he was terrible.
28. His apartment is filled with skeletons that have "nervous systems made of rope lights."
29. He's a fierce anti-cow dehorning advocate.
30. His perfect day would involve sitting in a room and knitting all day. He absolutely loves knitting.
31. His uncle was an Elvis impersonator and Ryan was his assistant.
32. He saved a woman's life. For real.
33. He dated Sandra Bullock from 2002–2003. She was 16 years older than him. In 2011, he said she was one of the greatest girlfriends, "I had two of the greatest girlfriends of all time. I haven't met anybody who could top them." The other girl he's referring to was Rachel McAdams.
34. Justin Timberlake's mom was his legal guardian for six months.
35. A.J. McClean never returned Ryan Gosling's calls about joining the Backstreet Boys in the early '90s. They lived in the same apartment complex at the time.
36. Ryan says the worst thing you could call him is a "dumb hipster."
37. He taught Britney Spears about sex, like "positions and such."
38. Rachel McAdams and Ryan apparently hated each other while filming The Notebook.
39. In 2012, Ryan released a documentary he both produced and narrated about youth culture called ReGENERATION.
40. He's in a band called Dead Man's Bones where he sings about paranormal phenomena.
41. His favorite place in the L.A. area is Disneyland. He often goes alone, wears headphones and a hat, and goes on rides all day.
42. His dog George has a mohawk because his dog insists on it. Ryan said, "Ten years ago I shaved a mohawk just for the summer. And then, every time it started to grow out, he turned into a total jerk. And then, I'd shave it back and he'd turn into a nice guy again."
43. A sushi restaurant in San Diego has a bathroom devoted to him.
44. He's an accomplished jazz guitarist.
45. He is an actual God. Gos bless.