Splash NewsSometimes a person is so darn delicious, it almost hurts to look at him.
The key word being almost.
Happy 35th birthday today to Ryan Gosling, the actor, unwitting meme generator and star of dozens of devoted Tumblr pages who perfectly fits the sometimes-it's-just-too-much bill for so many adoring fans.
In our opinion, though, Gosling's brand of hotness is the sort that can sneak up on you, considering he—like Johnny Depp, Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale—doesn't shy away from getting weird (or bald, platinum-haired, creepily mustached or pudgy) for a role. And he takes on all sorts of rough-edged characters, some you root for (his crack addict teacher in Half Nelson, his destroyed estranged husband in Blue Valentine, his sweet but fairly unhinged mob driver in Drive, his emotionally stunted sad sack in Lars and the Real Girl, the list goes on) and some repellent (his creepy Robert Durst-inspired husband in All Good Things, his hot yet sociopathic killer in Murder by Numbers).
And then there's Crazy Stupid Love, the unifying force that brings all the on-the-fence, fair-weather Gosling fans who haven't seen The Notebook (yes, such a species exists) to the same table as the Tumblr-maintaining fanatics.
But since Gosling, now at the fair age of 35, has persisted in sinking his teeth into so many meaty roles that don't require abs or perfectly angled eyebrows or any sort of too-good-to-be-true sweet talk, we maintain that it's still possible to forget sometimes just how much he's got going on in the so-hot-it-hurts department.
And then when you're reminded... it hurts so good.
In honor of his mini-milestone, here are 35 times Ryan Gosling's hotness snuck up on us:
We could watch him burst into giggles all day and we know you could too.
Nothing's hotter than a guy who's willing to get silly to make us laugh (while filling out a T-shirt like nobody's business).
We hadn't seen him at an event in a while, and here at the Hollywood Film Awards Nov. 1, aww...
No explanation necessary.
Ditto.
Hat tricks always amuse.
Yeah, he does.
Yes, a perfect kiss follows, but we're more turned on by Ryan instinctively shielding Carey Mulligan from a potential threat but then turning it into a makeout session in Drive.
We're sorry to report, but the girl he winked at may not have survived that moment.
OK, here he didn't sneak up on us so much as beat us over the head with hotness.
Still not sure whose idea it was to leave this out of the theatrical version of The Place Beyond the Pines.
G'day indeed.
Our 12-year-old selves just lost it.
Cereal Ryan.
Hood Ryan.
Plaid Ryan.
Incredulous Ryan.
Glasses Ryan.
Wax Ryan.
Chair Ryan.
Director Ryan.
Dad Ryan (with his Blue Valentine daughter, actress Faith Wladyka, but this probably resembles what real-dad Ryan is like with actual daughter Esmeralda).
Looking for something?
Ouch.
Good grief.
Oh, would you just stop already?!
Sorry, we're going to need a moment...
Well, hey.
Smoking is bad, bad, but...dammit!
And so is smoking and drinking...shoot!
Actual puppy dog unnecessary when he's giving us those eyes.
Sigh.
We'd vote for him.
Because we know no list of Ryan Gosling's anything is complete without this.
And...scene.
Happy birthday, Ryan Gosling. (And to the rest of you, you're welcome.)