All Over Albany

An exclusive interview with Ryan Gosling's motorcycle

You might have seen one or two stories about the The Place Beyond the Pines shooting around Schenectady, and sightings of the film's star, Ryan Gosling.

Well, we weren't able to get an interview with Gosling. But we were able to land the next best thing: a few minutes with his motorcycle -- about the film, Gosling, and Schenectady...

So, how'd you get involved with this picture?

I had just come off working on Fast 5 -- which was a great time, Vin [Diesel] and I are boys from way back -- and, frankly, I wasn't really looking for anything. I figured I'd head down to Baja and just chill by the beach.

But my agent brought this to me and thought it'd be a good fit. I wasn't sure. The only thing I really knew about Ryan [Gosling] was The Notebook. And that movie with the doll... what was that...

Lars and the Real Girl

... right, Lars and the Real Girl. Have you seen that?

(nod yes)

Man, that was some weird sh-t. (pause) So, I was skeptical.

Why?

Well, I wasn't sure I wanted to do a movie with Notebook-guy riding me. And when I first heard the plot -- motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks to support his son -- from the guy who directed that movie where those people mope around about their marriage... I was kind of like, "You're f---ing with me, right?"

You know, I'm not really into this whole new generation of actors, with all the emoting. Did Arnold [Schwarzenegger] need to emote? Hell, no. Dude made something like 20 movies all with the same expression. I mean, let's blow some sh-t up and ride off with without looking back at the explosion.

So what turned you around?

I met Ryan. Good energy. A total bro -- who can also act. It's been great working with him. He's a pro. And his dog is awesome.

And Derek [Cianfrance, the director] was totally great. He convinced me. He told me about how we'd be shooting scenes on location -- not in front of a green screen.

I f---ing hate green screens. Give me some road or dirt to work with. It's almost impossible to find your character in front of a green screen with the spandex suits and those little white [motion capture] balls stuck all over you.

Speaking of those locations... how do you like Schenectady?

It's cool. I mean, from what I understand, this place has had a tough time with some plants closing or stuff like that. But there's a certain grittiness that I like. People seem to have an appreciation for machinery. And that village across the river...

Scotia

... yeah, it's kind of cute. I'm really looking forward to knocking over some banks there.

And we've had some good times already. Ryan and I went for burritos the other day. And we all went up to this park south of here where you could overlook to whole area. Brad [Bradley Cooper] really dug that. He's also great. Have you talked with him, yet? He's got the bluest f---ing eyes I've ever seen. Like headlights.

So, yeah, it's actually been fun to get away from the whole LA scene here.

A lot of people here have been really curious about the shoot. There's a been a bunch of coverage of Ryan Gosling sightings.

I've caught a little bit of that. It's just kind of funny. People getting excited because an actor's riding down the street or eating lunch? That's like, you know, called Thursday in LA -- an everyday thing.

I had heard that Angie's [Angelina Jolie] people had worked really hard to keep on a lid on the fact that she would be here because they were worried about crowds. We're not going around telling everyone where we'll be at, but we're not going all Tom [Cruise] and treating it like some sort of Scientology secret or anything.

And with Twitter and Facebook, now, forget it. Man, I miss old days. You used to be able to get totally sh-tfaced at a bar, make out with some random chick, and go home missing some clothing without it being a problem. Now? That sh-t's all over Facebook before you've even had your fifth beer. And then TMZ is all up your ass with their cameras.

But, whatever. I mean, we're just here to do our jobs. It's cool that people are into it.

And I totally get the Ryan thing. He's in, like, every movie lately. And he's a good looking guy. I have to admit that I get a little thrill every time he hops on.

This interview was conducted in person. It's been lightly edited.

image: Kawasaki