RYAN Gosling has spent two decades in the spotlight, having started out as one of Disney's TV Mouseketeers, along with Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

 

But the 34-year-old, who became a father when his partner Eva Mendes gave birth to their daughter Esmeralda in September, doesn't regret starting out in the industry so early.

"I did start very young (he was 12) but I'm glad I did, because I didn't have the fear of failure. If I'd waited until I was a little older, I might've been a lot more self-conscious, or afraid of failing."

That gung-ho approach has served him well. After years in children's TV, he faced a certain amount of cynicism when he showed interest in tackling more dramatic parts, but ignored the naysayers and landed the controversial lead role in 2001's The Believer.

His depiction of a Jewish neo-Nazi garnered rave reviews, as well as the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

He went on to receive strong critical praise for his follow-up performances in The Slaughter Rule with David Morse, Murder By Numbers opposite Sandra Bullock and The United States Of Leland alongside Kevin Spacey.

And then along came 2004's romantic tearjerker, The Notebook, and his Hollywood status was confirmed.

A decade on, and following an Academy Award nominated role in 2006's Half Nelson, he's now turned his hand to writing and directing with Lost River.

The movie was booed at the Cannes Film Festival and described as 'wildly self-indulgent' and 'mouth-dryingly lousy' in two particularly scathing reviews, but he's making light of the negative criticism.

"Every film has its critics. It's just part of it, and not something you can really spend too much time thinking about," remarks the quietly spoken actor, who's dressed in jeans and a brown checked shirt, from which a thin gold chain pokes out.

"I'm very proud of the film and excited that's it will have a chance to find its audience."

Gosling describes the movie as a "dark fairy tale" and reveals he was influenced by his time in Detroit, where he shot 2011's The Ides Of March with fellow actor-turned-director George Clooney.

"I was inspired by the fact he makes it look easy. He's producing, writing, directing, starring in. It all seems so effortless," he says of the 53-year-old. "And it was his film that brought me to Detroit, so I owe that experience to him."

As a kid growing up in Canada, the actor, who doesn't appear on screen in Lost River, admits he had a "very romanticised view" of the city and how it represented the American Dream.

"When I got there, it was very different. It was 40 miles of abandoned neighbourhoods and occasionally, a family trying keep their home. It feels like their dream has become a nightmare and I wanted to make a film about that.

"A fairy tale format felt the best way, because then you can focus on the emotions of the characters and not get caught in the political landscape."

Set against the surreal dreamscape of the abandoned city of Lost River, Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, who Gosling worked with on 2011's Drive, plays Billy, a single mother of two who's led into a macabre underworld on a mission to save the family home.

Meanwhile, her teenage son Bones (Scottish actor Iain De Caestecker) discovers a mysterious road that leads into a reservoir. The mystery of this submerged town triggers his curiosity and sets a chain of strange events into motion.

The idea of an underwater town is the "story of the town I grew up in", notes Gosling.

"When I was a kid, I saw a road going into the river. I asked my mother and she said, 'Oh there's a town down there.' It'd been constructed to make this Seaway Project and they had to sink a bunch of towns in order to do that. The idea I had been swimming over it bothers me to this day."

Circling the streets of the deserted city is the psychopathic Bully, brought to life by Matt Smith. "I think he's incredible," says Gosling of the 32-year-old former Doctor Who.

He recalls how he caught an episode of the classic sci-fi series while working on a draft of the script. "He was so engaging and so strong. There's no one quite like him. I wanted to work with him and was really excited that he agreed to do the film."

Mendes also stars in the movie, as Cat, the star performer at a horror-themed club.

"She was around when I was writing it and she was very helpful in many aspects of the process," he says about the 41-year-old actress he met on the set of 2012's Place Beyond The Pines.

"She interned with the costume department and with the production design team, and she was also acting in it, so she wore a lot of hats on the film."

Gosling's just finished filming The Nice Guys with Russell Crowe, which "was a lot of fun" and is about to reunite with his Crazy, Stupid, Love co-star Steve Carell on The Big Short. It marks a return to acting, but doesn't rule out directing more in the future.

"I've always admired people who act and direct. I think it helps you get better at one and then the other, so I hope to keep doing both."

:: Lost River is out in cinemas now