Coincidentally, Cianfrance was writing a script with a getaway scenario very similar to Gosling's hypothetical scheme.
The Colorado-born writer-director says, "I knew it was one of those times where we were destined to do it together. So I told Ryan, 'I will make your dreams come true, and you won't even have to go to jail'."
At Gosling's suggestion, Eva Mendes was up for the role of waitress and romantic interest of his motorcycle stuntman-turned-criminal. (Although it's been widely reported that Gosling and Mendes have been in a relationship since shooting the movie, neither has confirmed their romantic status).
Mendes plays against type in a decidedly unglamorous role which called for no makeup and, apparently, no bra for much of the movie.
She says, "I wouldn't call myself an actress if all I wanted to do was take on glamorous roles. But I did Training Day, and Last Night and those were as raw as you can get.
"But people see me in campaigns (for the likes of Calvin Klein, Revlon, Thierry Mugler) and they're so image-obsessed that that's what they remember and they formulate opinions based on them."
As did Cianfrance, who needed some convincing that Mendes could be realistic in this blue-collar role.
"She came in for the audition wearing these high-waisted 1994 jeans, a baggy T-shirt, and no makeup. She was trying her hardest to be unattractive, and she was failing miserably," he recalls.
"She seemed so vulnerable that I said, 'You don't have to read for me today. Instead of an audition, why don't you drive me around the neighbourhoods you grew up.' So she took me on a two-hour drive through Los Angeles. I fell in love with her for who she was as a human being and I knew she'd be great.
"I also felt a great nervousness from her, a great fear about doing this movie, and I relate to that. To me it's thrilling to work with an actor who has a resistance to something. I don't relate to fearless people, I relate to people who are scared. That's the definition of courage - when you are scared but you confront it anyway."
Mendes returns the compliment, and says, "I have a theory that nobody can be bad in a Derek Cianfrance film. You have to really try hard to be bad in a film of his because he gives you everything you need to succeed."
If timing is everything, Cianfrance certainly lucked out with Cooper, whom he also initially viewed as wrong for the role.
"When Bradley was suggested, it was before Silver Linings, and I said, 'You mean, that dude from The Hangover? I don't think he's right for the movie but I'll meet with him.' And then I did.
"There was something immediately that struck me about him that reminded me of a pot of boiling water with a lid on it. The 'Sexiest Man Alive' was wrestling with some stuff on the inside. That's what I needed for the part."
Despite the violent nature of the movie, Cianfrance makes it clear he's no fan of gratuitous gore. He says: "If I have to see another slow-motion bullet come out of a gun, pierce somebody's skull and spray their brains on the wall, I'm going to puke.
"It's too much. I don't know when all of a sudden violence was deemed such a cinematic thing. Nowadays I'm seeing violence that's so fetishised and so cool, and I have to say, I can't stand it. I can't stand the irresponsibility of guns and gun violence in movies. I didn't even want to have a gun in this movie, but it's a cop and robber story.
"There had to be guns but I wasn't interested in how realistic I could make the brains or the blood; I was interested in making a movie about the events, adrenaline and choices that led up to one violent moment. And then the reverberation of that moment."
The Gosling-Cianfrance collaboration is one of mutual respect and admiration (strangely, they also share strong physical resemblance). However, Gosling says it's not necessarily an easy one. "I suggested getting a face tattoo for this role, but then I regretted it instantly. I said, 'This looks ridiculous. I can't do this to myself or to your movie. I regret it.' And Derek said, 'Well that's what people do with face tattoos, they regret it. This movie is about consequences, so now you are stuck with it," says Gosling.
"I was upset at the time but I was glad that he held my feet to the fire in that way because it did give me the sense of shame that I don't think I could have acted in the film. I didn't want to be photographed, or even look at myself in the mirror, and I felt ridiculous.
"So, I started to feel exactly how this character probably felt. He was a melting pot of every masculine cliche: tattoos, muscles, guns, complete overkill. Those things don't make you a man. But at the heart of it, he's an empty person."
Gosling, whose roles of late include Crazy, Stupid, Love, Ides of March, and Gangster Squad, still remains at odds with his leading man status. He explains, "Before The Notebook, I could never get a job as a leading role and I thought I'd spend a career playing character parts. But then I was limited to playing psychopaths."
Though now he may be stereotyped as "the actor with amazing abs", thanks to recurring bare torso scenes that have appeared in his recent movies.
In fact, Place Beyond the Pines opens with a lingering shot of his well-toned upper body. "Look, it only happened twice and I've made a lot of movies. I don't see it happening again. Believe me, I'm not going to make a habit of it," he insists.
But nevertheless, Gosling certainly does have a handle on the quintessential brooding tough guy persona. He laughs it off, and says, "Oh, that's easy. That just comes from not blinking."
Who: Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and director Derek Cianfrance
What: Place Beyond the Pines
When: Opens June 13
- TimeOut
