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Ryan Gosling poses for a photo as he promotes his new film Blue Valentine at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Wednesday September 15, 2010.Chris Young / CP

As a child actor, Ryan Gosling appeared on Canadian shows such as Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Goosebumps and Road to Avonlea, as well as Disney's The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (1993-1994). Since adulthood, though, he has systematically made an effort not to play it safe. Here are some of his memorable roles over the past dozen years, and the words of the characters he played.

BREAKER HIGH (1997-1998)

This Canadian series on YTV followed a group of teens who attended high school on a cruise ship. Gosling played Sean Stanley Hanlon, a would-be ladies' man.

Hanlon: "You know, under these clothes I have the body of a Calvin Klein model."

Girl: "Yeah, Kate Moss"













THE BELIEVER (2001)

Gosling's breakthrough role was in this prize-winning Sundance drama, inspired by the real-life story of a young Jewish man from Queens who became fiercely anti-Semitic and involved in the American Nazi Party and the KKK. Gosling plays Danny Balint.

Danny, talking to a reporter: "Take the three greatest Jewish minds ever. Marx, Freud, Einstein. What have they given us? Communism, infantile sexuality and the atom bomb."























THE NOTEBOOK (2004)

Gosling plays Noah, a poor boy in love with a rich girl (Rachel McAdams), but her parents split them apart.

Noah: "It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day."

HALF NELSON (2006)

Gosling plays a high-school teacher addicted to crack cocaine:

Dan: "For the most part. I do it now to get by, but I can handle it. You know what I mean? I tried the rehab thing. I tried it. But it didn't work."

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007)

Gosling plays Lars, a delusional young man who believes a sex doll named Bianca, which he bought off the Internet, is his real girlfriend.

Lars (giving some flowers to Bianca): "See, they're even fake so they'll never die"

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