Ryan Gosling Goes Country for Chris Stapleton in ‘Saturday Night Live’ Promo

Ryan Gosling doesn’t need anything but his cowboy hat and the long, open road in the promotional clip for his upcoming Saturday Night Live gig. The actor will host this weekend’s episode with musical guest Chris Stapleton — though Gosling, a huge Stapleton fan, was admittedly a little nervous to talk to the country star, uncertain of how to go about asking for an autograph.

“Mr. Stapleton, big fan. Love your music,” Gosling said to himself, trying out the introduction before scrapping it with a swift “No, that’s stupid.” He tried: “Yo, Chris, one for the ‘Gram?” and “Master Stapleton, ’tis I, Sir Gosling.” That, for some reason, was the one he felt most confident leading with.

But when Gosling stepped into the dressing room he talked himself into entering, Stapleton wasn’t the one being illuminated by the bulbs surrounding a vanity. Instead, a cowboy hat rested on a mannequin head in the center of the table. In a moment, Gosling let the pen and Stapleton headshot he was holding fall to the ground. He tried to resist the pull of the hat, but once the chords and melodies of Stapleton’s single “White Horse” started surrounding him, he was enthralled.

This weekend marks both Gosling and Stapleton’s third time on Saturday Night Live. The actor last hosted in 2017, just a few months post-La La Land. This time, his appearance overlaps with the promotional cycle for The Fall Guy. Gosling stars alongside Emily Blunt in the action comedy from writer and director David Leitch. It opens in theaters on May 3.

Stapleton last appeared as a musical guest on SNL in 2018, performing “Midnight Train to Memphis” and “Hard Livin’” from his third studio album, From A Room: Volume 2. He made his debut two years prior on a January 2016 episode hosted by Adam Driver. The musician performed “Parachute” and “Nobody to Blame” from his debut album Traveller. Stapleton released his latest album, Higher, in November 2023.