Ryan Gosling Praises ‘Girl of My Dreams’ Eva Mendes During Santa Barbara Film Festival Speech

Ryan Gosling is singing the praises of the leading lady in his life!

The Barbie actor, 43, received the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Motion Picture at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Saturday night.

Gosling, who was the 16th recipient of the award, greeted his wife Eva Mendes and their two daughters during his speech.

Noting that his work as an actor allowed him to play a variety of roles, Gosling added: “Most importantly, I met the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and had two dream children.”

“I dreamed of making movies one day, and now movies have turned my life into a dream,” the actor continued.

Gosling was presented with the Kirk Douglas Award at the festival on Saturday.

Callaway/Variety River via Getty

Emily Blunt says her daughters are ‘so happy’ to work with Ryan Gosling: He’s ‘it for them’

Elsewhere during his acceptance speech, Gosling said he was “not ready” for the moment, joking that he “should have had more champagne”, before paying tribute to Greta Gerwig and Steve Carrell, who introduced the actor in a touching paying tribute.

“It’s hard to imagine being at the point in my career where I’m standing here tonight,” Gosling said. “… It’s just that it’s Kirk Douglas. He’s one of the first true icons of cinema … he’s completely and utterly in a class of his own, and I’m … just Ken?”

“Until this point, I’ve only ever thought about how much cinema has done for me. I’ve never thought about what I’ve done for cinema, as far as I can remember,” the actor continued.

Gosling then paid tribute to his mum Donna, who “found my soft spot” in acting as a child and homeschooled him for a year “to show me how to create my own story”.

“That open door wasn’t an elevator that went straight to the top, but I was able to help my mom pay the rent. And by playing other people, I was learning who I was in the process,” added the father of two.

Greta Gerwig and Steve Carrell paid tribute to Gosling that night.

Rebecca Sapp/Getty

Will ‘Barbie’ get a sequel after making a billion dollars? Greta Gerwig wants to ‘return to the land of Barbie’

Gosling also recalled working with Carrell, 61, on an acting job at age 17 and Gerwig, 40, on last year’s Barbie during his speech.

“And I don’t even know where to start with Greta,” he said. “Even though she was making one of the greatest movies of all time against all the odds in the world, she never let the weight of the task steal the joy of the moment. She never let the importance of it all cloud what was truly important, which was that we never forget how much we’re happy to do what we do.”

Among his early film influences, Gosling cited directors Cecil B. DeMille, Garry Marshall, and Stanley Kubrick, as well as actors Charlton Heston, Yul Brenner, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, and Kirk Douglas. The actor concluded his speech by thanking those who supported him on his acting journey.

Gosling and Carrell at the festival on Saturday.

Callaway/Variety River via Getty

Gosling’s latest accolade comes as he has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor — for 2006’s Half Nelson and in 2016 La la country – and counts Golden Globes and SAG Awards among this year’s accolades for his role as Ken in Gerwig’s film Barbie, opposite star Margot Robbie.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date with the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Santa Barbara Film Festival Executive Director Roger Durling said of the Canadian-born star’s festival honor in a statement he received The Hollywood Reporter“Ryan Gosling has long been both a dramatic and comedic force in front of the camera.”

“This year, thanks to his universally acclaimed, triumphant performance as Ken Barbie — a film that truly demanded the attention of critics and moviegoers worldwide — has become a true cinematic force,” added Durling.

Gosling follows in the footsteps of Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, Jessica Lange, John Travolta, Martin Scorsese, Forest Whitaker, Michelle Yeoh and others as recipient of the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education