There are few high-profile couples more private about their relationship than Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes. We know that they’ve been together since about 2011 and that they have two children, but they rarely appear together in public or on the red carpet. Their children are never seen online, and they've never really confirmed if and when they got married. These two are basically the opposite of any couple that has ever engaged in PDA.
Given how quiet they keep their life together, fans were surprised on Saturday night when Ryan used an award show speech to publicly (and sweetly) gush about his life with Eva. Although his daughters, 9 and 7, weren't in attendance, he even took some time to celebrate what they mean to him as well. Ryan was spreading the love!
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Ryan was a film festival winner this weekend.
Ryan was honored as the 16th winner of the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and he used his speech to give some love to the women in his life. He reflected on what his career as an actor has given him, including the chance to "meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children."
He sweetly continued by sharing that "I dreamed of one day making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream."
Ryan also celebrated director Greta Gerwig.
Ryan was presented his award by his Barbie director, Greta Gerwig, who had nothing but praise for the actor, saying she felt "more than a little bit saved by Ryan's acting" and "by working with him and watching him work."
Ryan returned the favor by saying of Gerwig that even though "she was making one of the biggest films of all time against all the odds in the world, she never allowed the weight of the task to steal the joy away from the moment. She never let the importance of it all cloud what was truly important, which is to never forget how lucky we are to do what we do."
Showing he has love for all the ladies in his life, Ryan also sang his mom's praises.
Because Ryan was being honored for his whole career and not just a single film, he had the time to reflect on his years of making movies. He acknowledged that his mom helped make it all possible, after she realized he loved acting and took a year off to homeschool him and help him begin his career.
In return, he recalled that he was able to "help my mom pay the rent. And by playing other people, I was learning who I was in the process."
Ryan is considered a likely Oscar nominee this year.
Although he didn't win the Golden Globe he was nominated for, Gosling is still considered one of the most likely Oscar nominees this year, both for Best Actor and potentially as part of a music award for the delightful I'm Just Ken song.
Fans will have to wait until January 23 to see if there is an Academy Award and the possibility of another gushy speech about Eva or maybe even a rare red carper appearance from the duo.
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