One of the most anticipated events on Friday at SXSW wasn’t actually a screening or music performance. Instead, it was Ryan Gosling’s Q&A with fellow filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. The two have a clear admiration for each other, so the conversation was mostly light-hearted. However, Del Toro did a good job of keeping Gosling on the main subject, which was his first film as a director, Lost River.

Del Toro made it clear from the start that he was going to keep things light, telling the audience that Gosling is much more than the “Hey, Girl” meme. Gosling seemed a bit embarrassed by the mention of it, so they quickly moved on.

While Del Toro had nothing to do with the direct making of the film, Gosling told him the story of Lost River long before the cameras started rolling. Indeed, Del Toro told Gosling that he would have directed the film if Gosling didn’t.

Lost River, which is set to screen here tonight, is structured like a fairy tale, but it’s actually a very personal one for Gosling. On one level, it reflects his childhood, but on another, it’s about his first trip to Detroit. When he was growing up in Canada, Detroit seemed like a magical place, but once he arrived there as an adult, it was totally different. He was struck by how there were rows of houses unoccupied. He would see one family living on a street alone and thought that these people might feel like they are the only ones left on earth.

He knew that he wanted to make a film capturing the feeling of Detroit, but he decided instead to place it in a fairy tale world. That way, he didn’t have to get into the “political minutia” of how Detroit ended up like this. So, even though he did actually shoot partly in Detroit, the movie still has a universal quality to it.

Del Toro praised Gosling for giving characters names that reflected what they do. That’s also in the tradition of fairy tales, like those by the Brothers Grimm.

The two filmmakers also got into the technical details of the film, like the cinematography and using actual film to shoot the movie instead of digital cameras. They also discussed casting, noting that an episode of Doctor Who inspired Gosling to get Matt Smith for a role. Gosling was also excited to have the legendary Barbara Steele, who is known for her work in ‘60s Mario Bava movies, for a role, even if it was one without dialogue.

Gosling also told a funny story about Saoirse Ronan, who also stars in the film. A few years ago, he was going to make a movie with her, playing her father. The trouble was, she was 14 at the time and it didn’t look right. They didn’t make that movie, but Gosling remembered her and wanted to actually work with her.

Lost River is set for release on VOD and in select theaters on April 10.

photos by Daniel S Levine