First published Sept. 9, 2012

“Ryan’s just a magic person. He makes everything better around him,” says director Derek Cianfrance of the much-loved Canadian actor who is starring in his new film “The Place Beyond the Pines.”

“You’ve seen it when he breaks up fights in New York City and saves people from getting run over by cars,” adds Cianfrance, during a round table interview at TIFF. “When you’re making a movie with Ryan that’s what he does, he makes it better.  He makes me a better filmmaker.”

This is the second time Cianfrance and Gosling have worked together, the first being 2010’s critically-acclaimed “Blue Valentine,” which earned co-star Michelle Williams an Oscar nomination. 

In “The Place Beyond the Pines,” which also stars Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes, Gosling plays a motorcycle stunt driver who starts robbing banks for money when he finds out he has an infant son.

Following the film’s premiere at TIFF, Gosling told the Canadian Press that working with Cianfrance has been a life-altering experience.

"These films have changed my life and they have changed me as an actor," he said during an interview.

Gosling will take what he’s learned to heart when he sets out to direct his first feature, “How To Catch A Monster.”

"I've always been a fan of Derek's but even (when) watching ('The Place Beyond the Pines' premiere), as I go to approach making my own (film), I'm even more in awe of how he does it, because the filmmaking is invisible and yet it's such a cinematic film. You don't see the effort. It feels effortless and yet it's completely the opposite," Gosling continued.

Cianfrance credits Gosling for helping push him in the right direction when making the emotionally raw “Blue Valentine” and says as a human being, the young Oscar-nominated actor is one of the people he loves most in his life.

“I’m very thankful for his friendship and his collaboration. I can’t wait to see his film because I think he’ll be a great filmmaker. Honestly, he already is.”