Ryan Gosling and Burt Reynolds© Getty Images

Ryan Gosling reveals Burt Reynolds had a crush on his 'really beautiful' mom

The Barbie actor worked with the late star on the movie Frankenstein and Me

US Deputy Editor
May 2, 2024

Good looks run in the family! Ryan Gosling had a hilarious exchange on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday when he detailed working with Burt Reynolds when he was a teenager. 

Talking to the host about the late actor's personality and whether he was friendly on the set of the 1996 movie, Frankenstein and Me, Ryan confessed that Burt was, but only because he fancied his mom. 

"I'm surprised you don't know it," Ryan first joked about his feature film debut. "Frankenstein and Me."

WATCH: Ryan Gosling reveals Burt Reynolds had a crush on his mom

Jimmy then quizzed him on his relationship with Burt, to which he said: "It's complicated."

The audience and host began laughing as Ryan regaled how he came to realize Burt's crush on his mom, Donna

© Getty Images

Ryan with his sister Mandi, mom Donna and stepfather, Valerio Attanasio

"I thought he took a shine to me," he recalled. "I thought he thought there was something special about me. And then I realized that I have a really beautiful mom."

The Notebook start continued: "He was just kind of interested. It was like I was getting a secondary shine. The real shine was for my mom. And I was like, 'Oh, this is secondary shine.' " 

© Photo: Getty Images

Burt took a shine to Ryan's mom

Jimmy asked his guest how long it took him to realize his mom was the apple of Burt's eye, not him.

"I wish I had found out sooner," he quipped before clarifying that his mom "loved" the attention from Burt but "nothing" ever happened. 

© Getty Images

Ryan Gosling with his 'really beautiful' mom Donna

Jimmy was quick to then point out that had they become a couple, "You could have been Ryan Reynolds on the acting scene," to which Ryan joked: "This close."

He also spilled on the advice Burt gave him while working together. 

"He was like, 'Let me tell you something kid, Don't spend your whole life stepping over diamonds to live with a cubic zirconia'. I was like, 'I'm 13. I don't know what any of those things are. Stop looking at my mom, I'm right here.'"

© Hits Radio YouTube

Ryan is promoting his new movie, The Fall Guy, with Emily Blunt

The conversation around Burt was sparked because Ryan is playing stuntman Colt Seavers in his new movie, The Fall Guy, and Burt was a stuntman before he became an actor. 

The film follows down-and-out Colt who goes on a mission to find the missing star of his ex-girlfriend, director Jody Moreno's blockbuster movie. 

Jody is played by Emily Blunt

The Fall Guys hits theatres on May 3. 

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