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Ryan Gosling Shines at Sundance

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LAURIN SYDNEY, CNN ANCHOR: Newcomer Ryan Gosling is aptly named. According to the dictionary, a gosling is an "inexperienced young person," which summed up the youthful actor until recently. Now he's redefining himself with the lead role in an award-winning film. Lori Blackman talked at Sundance with this showbiz today star of tomorrow.

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LORI BLACKMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Would you believe that this all-American football player in "Remember the Titans" and this Jewish Nazi are actually the same actor? His name is Ryan Gosling, and his film, "The Believer," just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

RYAN GOSLING, ACTOR: I was prepared for the worst. I mean, I heard stories about Sundance. I heard stories get up and really critique your performance, and I wasn't sort of confident enough to hear that. I was like, oh, don't tell me I suck, because I will quit.

BLACKWELL: That won't be necessary. "The Believer" won this year's prestigious Grand Jury prize, and Gosling became the most talked-about newcomer.

QUESTION: You got the buzz.

GOSLING: I got the buzz.

QUESTION: But as he is saying, all he is hearing is, it's the buzz about the buzz.

GOSLING: Yeah, people are saying, oh, there is so much buzz. But I have never personally heard any of this buzz. Buzz and edge are these two words that like I have heard so much of; and I don't know what they are. What is edge?

QUESTION: I don't know, but do you have edge in addition to the buzz?

GOSLING: I personally don't think I have edge, but there is something about the edge and buzz that just go hand in hand. This film's got a lot of edge.

I read this script and it was the best thing that I ever read, and I think I -- I didn't know if I could do it or not. I had nothing to prove whether I could do it or not. I mean, I haven't really done much to prove that, but I just, for some reason, felt like I was the only one that could, for some reason; not because I could do it better, but because I think I loved it more than anyone.

One thing I realized when doing this film, and one thing I really wanted to -- to play, is that, I don't think anyone really feels that they are wrong, that they are bad people, what they're doing is wrong. I mean, everyone believes in what they are doing.

QUESTION: Did playing this character take its toll on you personally?

GOSLING: Yeah. It changed me like nothing I've ever -- well I shouldn't say like nothing I've ever done, but it is one of those instances where you can look at a specific experience and say, yeah, that changed my life.

BLACKMAN: Lori Blackman, CNN Park City, Utah.

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