Somewhere in Alternate Reality, Ryan Gosling Starred as Joker in Suicide Squad
Even A-list actors don't shy away from starring in superhero movies.
On the contrary, many seek out such lucrative roles. However, some actors have no interest in doing them, no matter how big the deal is, even when specifically approached.
Best known for his independent film roles and the Oscar-winning La La Land, Ryan Gosling is one of the most prominent actors in modern Hollywood.
However, few people know that he could have been a major character in the DC Extended Universe, as he was originally offered the role of the Joker in Suicide Squad.
While Suicide Squad was a financial success, it was a flop for DC fans. There were many reasons for this. Fans themselves mostly blame WB studios for the butchered cut of David Ayer's original film, Rotten Tomatoes critics blame the excessive use of CGI, and both agree that Jared Leto's Joker just isn't right. Who knows how the movie would have fared if Ryan Gosling had played him?
According to the theory of the multiverse, every time you have to make a choice, the universe is fractured and you get to the one where the choice was made the way it was made, never getting to explore what could have happened otherwise.
So in one of the alternate universes, Ryan Gosling took on the role of the Joker in Suicide Squad and did a good job. And DC fans liked his performance a lot more than Leto's. But Gosling didn't take the role for a reason.
In a 2010 interview, the actor said he wasn't really into superhero movies.
Gosling told MTV that he finds it difficult to act convincingly in CGI-infused films because you have to pretend that a lot of things are there that are not. But given his masterful acting, it's safe to assume that Gosling wouldn't mind trying his hand at a superhero blockbuster.
In the case of Suicide Squad, it didn't work out because it was a long-term commitment required by Warners that Ryan Gosling wasn't willing to make. Instead, the actor signed on for La La Land, which was filmed around the same time as Suicide Squad. And now it's hard to imagine him as the Joker instead of Sebastian Wilder.