Ryan Gosling has us crying yet again. But this time, we're shedding tears over a role he didn't play.
Atlanta creator and star Donald Glover recently let it slip that the Notebook actor almost starred in an episode of the critically-acclaimed show.
"He said he was a big fan, but he had something else, and it just didn't work out," Glover told reporters at Atlanta's season three red carpet premiere. "I was so bummed because the part was so great for him!"
Even though Gosling's appearance fell through, fans are still glad to see new episodes of Atlanta. After all, it's been nearly four years since Earn (Glover), Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), Darius (Lakeith Stanfield) and Van (Zazie Beetz) were on our TV screens.
The cast was preparing to shoot the third season when the coronavirus pandemic started, pushing the shoot back nearly two years. But the forced hiatus was a blessing in disguise, with Henry telling The Hollywood Reporter, "I feel like we needed that time, all of us individually, to figure out where we are, to figure out what this newfound fame and life was for us so we could come back in a clearer way."
Donald, who had already grown accustomed to fame thanks to his music career and role on Community, was more concerned about creating fresh material that was as good and thought-provoking as episodes past. "On the first day we wrote down, ‘Do what others can't' on the wall," he explained, "and I wanted it to be something where people turned it on like, ‘Oh, we're happy you're back,' because I know it's hard to come back."
He added that he approached writing with the mentality, "I've got to do something interesting."
Viewers can see if he met his expectations on FX and Hulu, where the first episode of Atlanta‘s third season is now available. As for Gosling, he's set to play Ken in the Margot Robbie movie Barbie and Court Gentry in The Gray Man.