HOLLYWOOD -- The Notebook may have generated a loyal female fan base and Half Nelson earned him an Oscar nomination, but it's his charismatic star turn in Fracture that propels Ryan Gosling into the Edward Norton/Matthew McConaughey big leagues.

In the smart courtroom thriller, the 26-year-old London, Ont., native plays a hotshot assistant district attorney who more than matches wits with cagey wife-killer Anthony Hopkins.

It's an ideal transitional role for the young actor -- one which brings him into the mainstream while at the same time won't be viewed as a sell-out by those who have admired his risk-taking instincts.

"In most movies in this genre they're really virtuous guys and this guy's not. He's just naturally kind of a narcissistic, self-obsessed guy with tons of ambition."

"I learned how to make a movie by watching him," says Gosling. "So many actors come on set and they think, 'Well this is my character's journey and you're all here to facilitate that.' Anthony's the total opposite. It doesn't matter what you do on a film, it's a collaboration. He isn't precious with his process. He leaves it out on the table and anyone can pick it up whenever they want to try to figure it out. I did, but I never worked it out."

"You think he's going to be this really intense guy -- Sir Anthony Hopkins and all that -- but he's so funny," remarks Gosling of the individual who was known to bark from the sidelines, sending crew members scouring the set for an elusive canine. "It sounded exactly like a dog. Everything he does is so good, that you can almost tell the breed."

Based on the characters Gosling has played in the past -- from a Jewish student-turned-neo-Nazi in 2002's The Believer to a drug-addicted junior high school teacher in last year's Half Nelson -- you'd think he'd be a fairly intense dude, himself.

But in person, the young man sitting across from us in his favourite shirt (a well-worn, snug-fitting, two-pocket blue-and-brown plaid) is a disarmingly down-to-earth guy with a sly sense of humour.

Still, it's hard to believe that he's the same Ryan Gosling who got his big start in show business hanging with Britney and Christina and Justin as a member of the revived Mickey Mouse Club.

Those who try to accuse Gosling of going Hollywood might want to consider the upcoming Lars and the Real Girl, a comedy about a man involved in a meaningful relationship with a sex doll.

"It's the most romantic movie I've ever done, even more emotional and romantic than The Notebook," insists Gosling. "You don't have to be loved back in order to love something and this is about a guy who's got a lot of love to give but no one to give it to, so he projects it onto this thing."

Fortunately in his personal life, Gosling shares the love with girlfriend Rachel McAdams. While he usually prefers not to discuss his relationship with his Notebook co-star (the two were born, several years apart, in the same St. Thomas, Ont., hospital), he couldn't help but beam when asked about her sexy cover shot in this month's Elle.

He's also quick to return the compliment when it's mentioned that McAdams has credited his selective work ethic for choosing her own film roles.

"She doesn't need any help from me," insists Gosling. "She's inspired me to do so much as well. She's the most discerning person I've ever met."

Because of a job commitment, McAdams couldn't be at her best actor nominee boyfriend's side on Oscar night, but Gosling, who instead brought along his mother and sister, found the whole experience surreal.

Making it doubly so was the fact that it took place two days after he returned from a trip to Africa, where he was researching a film he's writing about child soldiers in Uganda.

"They're very personal but it meant so much to my family. I had no idea how proud it was going to make all the people in my life. They were so thrilled, so I was really grateful to have had that experience."

Looking ahead, Gosling is also hoping to film The Good Heart, a drama by Icelandic director Dagur Kari, which would pair him with another risk-taker, musician Tom Waits. "When the Oscars thing happened, Tom left me a message that said, 'Stay in your own skin and don't stick your finger in any light sockets," says Gosling.

Based on his career moves to date, chances are good that Ryan Gosling will be remaining true to himself (and his favourite shirt) for some time to come.

BORN: Nov. 12, 1980, in London, Ont. to Thomas and Donna Gosling. He was taken out of elementary school as a child and home-schooled by his mother due to constant bullying from other students.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLE: He first attracted critical attention with his performance as the Jewish anti-Semite in The Believer, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.

EARLY WORKS: Beat out 17,000 people for a spot in the TV series The Mickey Mouse Club in January 1993. Soon after, he segued into an acting career, appearing on the TV series Breaker High (1997) and Young Hercules (1998-1999), as well as the films Remember the Titans (2000), The Slaughter Rule (2002) and Murder by Numbers (2002).

This is cache, read story here