Ryan Gosling is a national treasure. He acts! He sings! He dances! And, perhaps most importantly, he memes!
It began with “Hey, Girl,” which paired photos of Gosling with sentiments that ran the gamut from sweet and feminist to, well, weird. There was also the 2013 Vine series, “Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat His Cereal,” where user Ryan McHenry created a universe in which Gosling refused to eat his breakfast.
Gosling’s always been a good sport about it, going on MTV to read some “Hey, Girl” memes and asserting that he “never said it” (a claim he’s made again and again) in a playful Buzzfeed sketch with his The Nice Guys co-star Russell Crowe earlier this year. Gosling even honored the late McHenry after his passing with a video of himself finally eating his cereal. According to Variety, however, it seems that he may have just issued a definitive statement about his virality.
Gosling is currently promoting his latest film, Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, alongside Emma Stone, who said to him about the memes, “I don’t even understand. I mean, you’re great but why have you become this — why?”
Gosling’s response? “Do you remember when Fabio got hit in the face with a pigeon on the roller coaster and it broke his nose? Sometimes I feel like I’m the pigeon and the internet is Fabio’s face.” A pause. “Actually, I don’t know if I’m the pigeon or I’m Fabio’s face. Depends on the day, I guess.”
Make of that what you will. And hey, girl, keep making those memes.