Ryan Gosling just got a Miami ‘Cuban test’ on national TV. See how he scored
Ryan Gosling walks the walk and talks the talk — en español.
Appearing on “The View” Friday to promote his latest movie, “Project Hail Mary,” the actor got grilled by one of the hosts about his “gorgeous wife” Eva Mendes. Well, not about the Miami-born actress, exactly, but how much of her Cuban culture rubbed off on him.
The notoriously private couple have been together since meeting on the set of 2012’s “The Place Beyond the Pines.” Gosling and Mendes, who have never publicly acknowledged if they are married or not, have two daughters together.
Back to “The View.” When Ana Navarro had her turn to speak to Gosling, she put him on the spot, telling them they had “something in common.”
“We’re both married to crazy Cubans,” joked Navarro, whose husband is former Florida GOP head Al Cardenas. “And the entire family. Because when you’re married to a Cuban, you’re married to the family.”
“You said you felt there should be a support group?” Gosling said to laughs.
“I want to see what you picked up in all these years. So I want to give you a Cuban test,” said Navarro, who asked his director seated next to him, Phil Lord — who is also from Miami with a Cuban background — not to help (he did).
Navarro’s first question: “What is a croqueta?”
“Oh, it’s a little ... heaven on a plate,” answered Gosling, who is from Canada. “It’s hand-held, deep-fried....”
“A ham torpedo,” Lord piped in.
The next question, about picadillo, stumped the Oscar nominee.
“Oh my...I’m freezing,” he stammered. “I know it!”
Lord chimed in again with an assist, explaining the dish consisted of “chopped up ground beef” and other ingredients.
Third question: What is your favorite flavor of pastelito?
“There’s no wrong answer to this,” offered Lord, who graduated from Ransom Everglades.
“Guava! Guava!” Gosling finally responded. Ding, ding.
“Yes! I like queso,” said Navarro, whose last question regarded the meaning of “papi rico” (a hot guy).
Gosling had no idea, nor did Lord.
“Eva Mendes needs to give me back her Cuban card,” the Nicaragua native told her famous guest. “She hasn’t taught her husband anything!”
But Gosling wasn’t taking the L that easily.
“In my defense ... we haven’t talked about mojo, we haven’t talked about yuca,” the heartthrob said in a nearly perfect Spanish accent. “We haven’t talked about Ironbeer vs. Materva,” referencing the two popular soft drinks.
Impressed, Navarro then gave him a high-five.
“Plus, Eva’s mom makes the most amazing arroz con leche,” added Gosling, effectively shutting down the inquisition.
“OK, you redeemed yourself,” the Coral Gables resident admitted to applause. “Eva gets her Cuban card back.”
