Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day Hit the Red Carpet as Beavis and Butt-Head
We’re currently experiencing a unique cultural movement in which preternaturally handsome and charismatic actor Ryan Gosling can do no wrong. From his scene-stealing turn in Barbie last summer to reprising the role of Ken for a performance that brought down the Oscars, as well as his recent gig hosting Saturday Night Live, which gave us the show’s biggest water cooler moments in years, the 43-year-old is definitely riding a career high.
So why, at the Hollywood premiere of his new action comedy blockbuster The Fall Guy, hitting theaters on May 3, wouldn’t Gosling show up dressed in character as “Beavis” from that aforementioned viral SNL sketch, alongside comedian Mikey Day as “Butt-Head?”
But of course, that’s exactly what he did, as you can see from the red carpet photos of the pair’s grand entrance, dressed in generic “DEATH ROCK” and “SKULL” t-shirts, paired smartly with shorts, white socks naturally hiked halfway up their calves, and nondescript black sneakers.
And never one to half commit to a bit, Gosling seemed to wince while awkwardly waving at paparazzi, while Day kept his face locked in a bug-eyed grimace.
However, unlike during the live bit, both Gosling and Day seemed to manage not to break character this time around.
Part of the success of the sketch, which had apparently been five years in the making, was the fact that nearly everyone involved broke character at some point. The premise involved an AI expert (Kenan Thompson) speaking at a NewsNation town hall moderated by Heidi Gardner’s character, who keeps getting distracted by two attendees bearing a strong resemblance to the popular MTV animated characters from the ’90s.
But it was Gardner, in particular, who really broke, as she later explained to Vulture.
“Mikey does seem to turn his head just a little bit and bug out his eyes. It’s like he’s doing a subtle acknowledgment. That was new,” she recalled. “Maybe the fact I was trying to give myself pep talks contributed to it. Mikey and I sit next to each other during table reads, and he makes me laugh a lot. It’s easy for us to mess with each other. Something in the way he moved on live television felt like when someone messes with you to make you laugh.”
You can watch the full sketch below.
