Ryan Gosling was fired from this movie for being "too fat"
Peter Jackson finally addressed the 2007 recasting at Cannes, taking full responsibility and praising Gosling.
Before becoming one of Hollywood’s most respected leading men, Ryan Gosling was fired from a major studio film because the director did not like how much weight he had gained for the role.
The story, which has circulated for years, recently gained fresh attention after both Peter Jackson and Saoirse Ronan addressed it publicly.
Gosling gained 60 pounds for The Lovely Bones in 2007
In 2007, Gosling was cast as Jack Salmon, the grieving father in Jackson’s adaptation of Alice Sebold‘s novel The Lovely Bones. Gosling took a deeply committed approach to the role. Believing the character should appear heavier to reflect his emotional state, he gained roughly 60 pounds.
To achieve the weight gain, Gosling reportedly drank melted Häagen-Dazs ice cream whenever he was thirsty. He showed up on set significantly heavier than expected, around 210 pounds.
According to Gosling, he and Jackson had very little communication during pre-production. When he arrived on set, Jackson reportedly disagreed with the physical transformation. Days before filming was scheduled to begin, Gosling was let go and replaced by Mark Wahlberg.
In a 2010 Hollywood Reporter roundtable, Gosling recalled the moment with dry humor.
“I just showed up on set, and I had gotten it wrong. Then I was fat and unemployed,” Gosling said.
He also explained the creative disconnect.
“We had a different idea of how the character should look. I really believed he should be 210 pounds. We didn’t talk very much during the preproduction process, which was the problem.”
Peter Jackson takes responsibility at Cannes
For years, Jackson largely avoided discussing the recasting. However, while accepting an Honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2026, he finally addressed it.
Jackson took full responsibility for the decision.
“Anytime we recast an actor, it’s actually our fault because we didn’t get the casting right and we cast the wrong person for a role. It’s not because they did anything wrong,” Jackson said.
He added, “You just got to realize that what you were imagining isn’t really quite happening, which means that we got it wrong and so we take full responsibility.”
Jackson also praised Gosling, calling him a “fantastic actor.”
Saoirse Ronan said the reasons were “totally valid”
Saoirse Ronan, who played the lead role of Susie Salmon, has also spoken about the situation. In a 2024 appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, she said she was personally sad about Gosling’s departure because she had bonded with him and his dog, George.
However, Ronan ultimately felt the decision was understandable.
“I think the reasons were totally valid. It’s not personal,” she said.
She noted that Gosling was only 27 at the time and lacked the life experience of playing a father, while Wahlberg was able to step into the role more naturally.
Gosling’s career took off anyway
Being fired from The Lovely Bones could have been a major setback. Instead, it barely slowed Gosling down.
In the years that followed, he delivered a string of acclaimed performances in Blue Valentine (2010), Drive (2011), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), and La La Land (2016), earning his first Oscar nomination. He later became a global star with roles in Blade Runner 2049, First Man, and Barbie.
What could have been seen as a humiliating moment became little more than a footnote in a highly successful career.
Hollywood has a long history of policing actor weight
Gosling’s experience is part of a much larger pattern in Hollywood, where actors, particularly women, have long been pressured, rejected, or even fired over their weight.
Kirstie Alley faced years of public ridicule and tabloid scrutiny over her fluctuating weight, despite being one of television’s biggest stars. Jennifer Lawrence has said she was told early in her career that she needed to lose weight or risk being fired from projects. David Harbour revealed he was told he was “too fat” to play The Blob in a potential project.
While conversations around body image have improved in recent years, the industry’s narrow standards, especially for leading and romantic roles, remain deeply ingrained.
A creative clash, not just body shaming
Unlike many cases of fat-shaming in Hollywood, Gosling’s firing from The Lovely Bones appears to have been a genuine creative disagreement rather than simple body shaming. He was actively trying to serve what he believed the character needed, but he and the director were not on the same page.
Still, the story remains a stark reminder of how much power directors and studios have historically held over actors’ physical appearances, and how quickly that power can end a job.
Article compiled and edited by Derek Gibbs (entertainment editor) and the Clownfish TV newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
Variety, Peter Jackson’s comments on recasting Gosling (2026)
The Hollywood Reporter, Gosling’s original comments about being fired (2010)
Saoirse Ronan’s appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (2024)