Saoirse Ronan says it was 'sad' but 'legitimate' when Ryan Gosling was fired from 'Pretty Bones' after 60-pound weight gain: 'It's not personal'

Saoirse Ronan recently appeared on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast and recalled the dramatic casting switch that happened during the making of Peter Jackson's “The Lovely Bones.” The director originally cast Ryan Gosling as Ronan's protagonist's father, but the actor was replaced by Mark Wahlberg days before filming when Jackson disagreed with Gosling's decision to gain 60 pounds for the role.

Jackson never began filming “The Lovely Bones” with Gosling, but Ronan revealed that the cast had already “done some prep” when Gosling was fired. Ronan bonded with Gosling and was sad to see him go.

“I think I just loved Ryan and his dog, George, and I was sad that, you know, he wasn't going to be around,” Ronan said. “But I think their reasons for breaking up were completely valid and I've spoken to both of them [Gosling and Jackson] Now and then it happens. Do you know what I mean? It's not personal, necessarily. It feels like sometimes you're not on the same page.”

“Mark was able to get in, and he was a father,” added Ronan. “He was the father of three children, I do not know? He probably had an experience that Ryan thought he didn't. Ryan was 27.

Ronan would get the chance to work with Gosling a few years later when he cast him in his directorial debut, “Lost River.”

Gosling spoke with THR a year after “The Lovely Bones” opened in theaters and revealed that he was fired because of his weight gain. The actor explained: “We had a different idea of ​​how the character should be. I really believe he should be 210 pounds. We didn't talk much during the preproduction process, which was the problem.”

“It was a huge movie, and there's a lot to deal with, and he couldn't deal with the actors personally,” Gosling added. “I just showed up on set, and I got it wrong. I was fat and unemployed then.”

Watch Ronan's full interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in the video below.