3. Dan Dunne - Half Nelson
If one film rescued Gosling from a potentially wasted career, it was Half Nelson. The independent drama, which, amazingly, was made for only $700,000, earned the young actor his first Oscar-nomination, and officially established him as a serious talent to watch, at a time when he was no doubt inundated with romantic lead offers on the back of the success of the Notebook. In the film, Gosling portrays a down to earth, drug addicted, inner city school teacher who forms a friendship with one of his students - just like everyday life, then. What's amazing about Gosling's performance is, not only the fact that he portrays a convincing drug addict, but also his ability to play a school teacher. We've all had that cool teacher, the one we view as friends more so than authority figures, and apparently Gosling did too, as he expertly becomes one. It's another case of the actor getting inside his character creation, bringing subtle but utterly authentic touches to a role that wouldn't necessarily have worked in other actors' hands. He was often praised as "the next Marlon Brando" around the time of this performance, and his next two chosen roles on this list would go a long way to prove that apt comparison.