Ryan Gosling's achievements in Hollywood are beyond his wildest dreams, but "most importantly," they led him to meeting the "girl of his dreams," Eva Mendes.
The notoriously private couple – who have never addressed whether they are married – met in 2011 while working on the set of crime thriller The Place Beyond the Pines, and have been together ever since. Together they share two daughters, Esmeralda Amada, eight, and Amada Lee, seven.
Though the pair have not made a public appearance together since promoting their 2012 film, the Barbie star did publicly express his love for the Hitch actress and their daughters during his latest outing.
Ryan stepped out on Saturday for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival alongside his Barbie director Greta Gerwig, his Crazy, Stupid, Love co-star Steve Carrell, as well as SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling, where he was honored with the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film.
After his Hollywood colleagues and the SBIFF executive each took to the stage with their praise for Oscar winner, Ryan then stepped up to give his own toast, and expressed his appreciation for them as well as of course for Eva.
At the end of his gracious speech, Ryan noted how his career in film led him to finding love with Eva, and said: "Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children."
He continued: "I dreamed of making movies and now movies have made my life a dream," before concluding with: "No way I have contributed half as much to cinema as cinema has given to me."
MORE: Eva Mendes shares rare picture of holiday celebration at home with Ryan Gosling and two daughters
MORE: Eva Mendes reflects on bittersweet Christmas for family with Ryan Gosling in rare home photo
Ryan had begun his speech by saying he was "not emotionally prepared for tonight," and admitted "it's hard to feel deserving of all this," before noting he was at least relieved that proceeds from the event contribute to the organization's educational programs.
He also spoke on Kirk Douglas' legacy – the iconic actor, whose son is fellow legend Michael Douglas, passed away in 2020 – and joked about his own as Ken, telling the audience: "[Kirk] is completely and utterly in a class of his own… and I'm just Ken?"
MORE: Why Eva Mendes kept Ryan Gosling marriage secret for years after 'very boring' milestone confession
Still, Greta maintained Ryan was a "perfect" recipient of the honor, and said during her own speech: "[Ryan and Kirk] commit to characters in all their beauty and their ugliness. Because they are actors and people who believe that redemption is possible. It is a philosophical position illustrated through acting."
She added: "I love, and everyone loves, referencing other actors when they talk about Ryan, because he is such a delicious and totally unexpected combination of genius. He has the burning intensity of Marlon Brando, the tragic realism of Montgomery Clift, the virtuosic slickness of John Travolta, the sly wit of Gene Wilder."
Ryan was most recently nominated at the Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his role as Ken in Barbie, as was his hit "I'm Just Ken" for Best Original Song, which was written and produced by Mark Ronson.
Get the lowdown on the biggest, hottest celebrity news, features and profiles coming out of the U.S. Sign up to our HELLO! Hollywood newsletter and get them delivered straight to your inbox.