Ryan Gosling Rescues Journalist Laurie Penny From New York City Cab

by UInterviewApril 5, 2012, 12:00 amNews >

You'd think that heartthrob Ryan Gosling was auditioning for the role of superhero based on his habit of jumping into the middle of dangerous situations. When he's not breaking up street fights in New York's East Village, he's rescuing wandering British journalists from speeding Manhattan cabs.

"I had just bought a nice pink wig to wear to a friend's party," wrote Laurie Penny, a British journalist for The Independent about the build-up to Gosling saving her when she walked in front of a car. "I was thinking about an article I'm writing … and I didn't remember to look the right way. An actor happened to be passing and stopped me from getting run over by a car. I said, "thank you" and that was that," Penny wrote on Gawker.

At the time, however — maybe it was adrenaline — Penny was slightly more exuberant on Twitter. "I literally, LITERALLY just got saved from a car by Ryan Gosling. That actually just a happened," Penny tweeted. A little later … "I was crossing 6th Avenue in a new pink wig. Not looking the right way because I am from London. Ryan Gosling grabbed me away from a taxi."

One passer-by witnessed the heroic rescue by perpetual hero Gosling and muttered, "you lucky bitch," to Penny before going on her way.

And then: Fans. Went. Wild. "No seriously," Penny later tweeted, suddenly amazed by all the hype. "My phone and email have been going crazy with media requests all night and all morning and it's getting silly now."

Silly or not, Penny admits that she is "grateful to the dashing and meme-worthy Mr. Gosling," on Gawker, but also thinks that "everybody needs to calm down about Ryan Gosling saving me from a speeding car."

"Americans are very stronge," she went on. "They can and do hyperventilate about the most everyday happenings as if they are the most important things in the world, and then they act completely normal when public conversations are had about war on Iran and war on women's bodies and when Rick Santorum is considered a serious presidential candidate."

Yes, yes, Ms. Penny. But more about Gosling's rescue, please.