CANNES, France – The Cannes Film Festival is missing one of its biggest stars of this year’s festival: Ryan Gosling.
The 32-year-old Canadian actor was unable to attend the premiere Wednesday of director Nicolas Winding Refn’s film Only God Forgives. Gosling stars in the Bangkok film noir about a boxing club owner pressured by his mother to his avenge his brother’s murder.
At a press conference Wednesday, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux read, in French, a letter from Gosling apologizing for his absence. The actor is currently in Detroit shooting his directorial debut, How to Catch a Monster.
“I can’t believe that I’m not in Cannes with you,” Gosling wrote. “I was hoping to be coming but I am in the third week of shooting my movie. I miss you all.
“Nicolas, my friend, we really are the same, simply in different worlds and I am sending you good vibrations. I am with you all.”
His absence is a blow to the festival, which depends on top stars like Gosling to walk its red carpet and draw the world’s media attention to the annual French Riviera extravaganza.
Fremaux said he was sad that Gosling couldn’t make it.
“He is not with us physically, but as he stated, his thoughts are with us,” said Fremaux.
Only God Forgives is Gosling’s second collaboration with Refn following 2011’s Drive.
Only God Forgives was screened for the media early Wednesday at Cannes, where it drew mixed reviews for its extreme violence and nightmarish treatment of such a Greek tragedy.
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