I have been confusing my Hollywood Ryans left and right lately. Am I really the only one? (Probably not -- Social Security's website tracking popular baby names shows that during just a few years in the '70s, the name Ryan skyrocketed in popularity and has been in the top 20 for boys ever since.)
Let Popnography do the hard work of identifying which Ryan is which. (All photos by Getty Images.)
> RYAN REYNOLDS (the guy on the cover of the Advocate)
He's starring in The Nines as (among other things) the stand-in for out writer/director John August. Then they went to Africa together and built an orphanage! (Cue "awwww"s all around.) Here, Towleroad has helpfully collected for you all the shirtlessness you could want from the first nine minutes of the movie.
You may also recognize him from Two Guys and a Girl, the sitcom that was not actually about a threesome no matter how the title makes it sound, or from Van Wilder or the remake of The Amityville Horror. (And, uh, Blade: Trinity. Just admit that you knew that already!)
Sometimes he also looks like this:
> Get Gosling, Phillippe, Seacrest and...O'Neal? After the jump...
> RYAN GOSLING (the guy from The Notebook)
Also starred in Half-Nelson, and is also (like Reynolds) Canadian and prone to wild attacks of facial hair.
Once upon a time he starred in the revival of The Mickey Mouse Club -- alongside Britney, Justin and Christina. No, really. Check out this gem from the performance archives. (He's the short guy in the back, to the left of mini-Justin.)
> RYAN PHILLIPPE (the ex)
Definitely laid his claim to the Ryan franchise before Gosling or Reynolds, but is now suffering the consequences. At 32 he's not much older than Reynolds (30) or even Gosling (26) -- but he's got a custody arrangement and an A-list ex-wife, which makes it hard to remember the good old days when he was playing a gay teen on One Life to Live (daytime's first!).
Latest gossip has him furious over Reese's alleged relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal. I'm not sure which part of that sentence is hardest to believe!
> RYAN SEACREST (why not?)
No, he's not really an actor, but as the Ryan most likely to be identified without a last name, he still qualifies for this post. (He's only 32! Who knew?) And now he's going to be the first-ever Super Bowl host, which is either going to be the best or worst idea Fox has ever had.
If you still think Seacrest is too lame for words (or only know him from his semi-regular denials), please enjoy his scene-stealing cameo as himself in Knocked Up. Believe me, he knows who's the butt of the joke.
> RYAN O'NEAL (the classic)
Ryan's such a new name, relatively speaking for Hollywood star purposes, and O'Neal (seen here in a mugshot from his most recent arrest, sorry!) isn't quite cool enough, I don't think, to be able to take credit for trend. Once upon a time he had that sexy, seductive sheen. Now he's mostly a cautionary tale for his namesakes.
Previously > A guide to recognizing your Baldwins
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