Actor and heartthrob Ryan Gosling is very much in demand in Hollywood these days. In fact, People Magazine has just dubbed him “America’s Most Wanted Man.” But a young and up-and-coming director named Derek Cianfrance has snagged him TWICE, in his last two movies.

His first film with Gosling was “Blue Valentine,” an emotionally raw account of a relationship going bad. It also starred Michelle Williams, who garnered an Oscar nomination for it.

Cianfrance’s new film, “The Place Beyond the Pines,” opens Friday. It features another intense performance by Gosling, this time as a motorcycle daredevil.

The ambitious, multi-generational film also stars the recently Oscar-nominated Bradley Cooper. He plays a cop who has a life-changing altercation with Gosling’s character.