Do we like Ryan Gosling?
Our score: 8 out of 10. A clean record on both tests, with real decency on the record, but not quite the long public track record of a full ten.
Gosling grew up in Ontario in a working-class Latter-day Saints family. He has said watching First Blood in first grade left a mark, and he was suspended after reenacting a scene at school. At 12 or 13 he landed on the revived Mickey Mouse Club alongside Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera.
From there it was teen TV, then Remember the Titans, then The Notebook made him a star. He has since picked up Oscar nominations for Half Nelson, La La Land and Barbie, and performed 'I'm Just Ken' at the 2024 ceremony. It's a long career built on swerving between brooding drama and goofy comedy.
On the harm test, we came up empty, and we looked. The search turned up no anti-LGBTQ+ campaigning, no conspiracy rabbit holes and no culture-war grifting. In 2017 he posted that he wanted to add his voice of support for the women who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein, and said he was disappointed in himself for being oblivious. Fair to say that's a thin record on trans issues specifically, because he rarely talks politics.
When Barbie missed out on Oscar nominations for Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie in 2024, he put out a statement saying there was no Ken without Barbie. He said he was disappointed that they weren't nominated, which is a rare thing for a nominee to do. That's a bloke using his own moment to hand credit to two women.
The recent run has been a good one. Project Hail Mary opened to $140.9 million globally in March, the biggest debut of 2026 so far, and he used the premiere to tell Hollywood it's the filmmakers' job to make films worth leaving the house for. He is also set to receive the American Cinematheque Award on 2 November.
On the court record we found nothing against him, and no credible allegations from established outlets. That's not proof of sainthood, and the file on his private conduct is thin, but you'd struggle to build a case. Sit down, press play, enjoy the Ken.