The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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So, please, please don't throw stuff at us, but we all know: You can't be at the top forever. It is just impossible. While there will never be another Ryan Gosling (in our hearts and our minds), with his recent announcement that he's taking an imminent break from acting — and this is the time we ask you to refrain from hurling items in our direction — it's time to find the next adorable, hilarious, and genuine guy to step up and take his place. Because we need our memes, our hunky edibles, and a new standard-bearer for all that is good in the world. Are we not throwing anything yet? Yes? Okay, let's set up some criteria:

Ryan Gosling is charming. He charms us frequently, so anyone that replaces him can't be too self-serious and also needs to have a personality off-screen. Also, Gosling can act. So, any hopeful looking to fill his big Canadian boots has to have some chops, too. Our guy Ry also came from an indie-ish background, so a taste for the challenging adds some points. Lastly, the new Ryan Gosling has to be really really ridiculously good-looking. But that last part? Well, that's just a given.

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The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Nicholas Hoult
On the Gosling grid because: Look at those eyebrows. LOOK AT THEM. Both the brows and the blues they house are totally soul-piercing. Secondly, Hoult has the cred, the film schedule, and the awkward quirk to make him a mini-Gos.

Photo: Jim Smeal/BEImages.

The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Sam Claflin
On the Gosling Grid because: Okay, this isn't the world's best picture of the newest Hunger Games hunk, but despite Sam's blockbuster appeal, he appears to have an indie soul. Oh, and just like Ryan, he's got that dreamy look where he is imagining a better world for us both to live in, together, forever.

Photo: Matt Baron/BEImages.

The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Jim Sturgess
On the Gosling Grid because: Soulful Sturgess has funny facial hair, an adorable mane, and has played an aching romantic many a-time (One Day and Across The Universe), and like Mr. Gosling, they both have a passion for music. (As an aside, Ryan's band Dead Man's Bones is actually a really lovely listen...) Sturgess has a spate of indie films up in 2013, so, hey, he's gunning for Gosling.

Photo: Jonathan Hordle/Rex/Rex USA.

The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Max Thieriot
On the Gosling Grid because: Playing the bad-boy in this year's Disconnect who seduces a much older woman, Max Thieriot is willing to take a couple of acting risks. He also has done one thing Ryan has not: Starred alongside Jennifer Lawrence. As long as his already-acclaimed role in Bates Motel doesn't keep him on the small screen, this rugged young guy will induce many a swoon.

Photo: Rob Latour/Rex USA.

The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Max Minghella
On the Gosling Grid because: Well, Max has already learned from the best, studying the art of Goslingery alongside the man himself in 2011's Ides of March. But the boyfriend of Kate Mara also has that depth and darkness a young Ryan has, as well. On top of that, he can slide between blockbusters and critical hits effortlessly.

Photo: Jim Smeal/BEImages.

The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Donald Glover
On the Gosling Grid because: Hey, we noticed you guys like Donald Glover. That's great, because we adore Donald Glover. He's a pretty killer musician and one of the best personalities to watch off-screen, too. But can he act in a filmic capacity? We hope to find out soon.

Photo: David Fisher/Rex/Rex USA.

The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Aidan Turner
On the Gosling Grid because: He might not be a household name yet, but just wait: He's got a hefty role in the next two Hobbit movies, and is playing the good guy in this year's Twilight and City Of Bones. Like Gosling, he also got his start on the small screen, as well, with the BBC series Being Human. Oh, and he's got an Irish accent. Just saying.

Photo: Rex/Rex USA.

The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Tom Hardy
On the Gosling Grid because: Okay, look. Tom Hardy is already Tom Hardy. But he is on this list because everyone should be obsessed with Tom Hardy in the same way they are obsessed with Ryan Gosling. Hardy is just wonderful. He is hilarious, an incredibly talented screen personality, and devastatingly handsome. Too bad he seems to be in a wonderful, loving relationship, so he can't sweep us off our feet.

Photo: Henry Lamb/Photowire/BEImages.

The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Eddie Redmayne
On the Gosling Grid because: Do you see how sensitive Eddie Redmayne is? He wants to know our feelings, and maybe sing us a song about them. Admittedly, he might not have the same type of charm of Mr. Gosling, but we expect to be dreaming dreams of Redmayne long after Les Misérables fever wears off.

Photo: Matt Baron/BEImages.

The Next Ryan Gosling...Because Now We Need One

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Douglas Booth
On the Gosling Grid because: Who? You might ask. On this list, Booth is probably the most likely to actually capture our hearts in the same way as Ryan Gosling. He comes from a working-class background. He has a festival-attending, scruffy, music-loving side. He's already gotten his artsy, gender-bending project out of the way by playing Boy George in a made-for TV movie. And he is going to star alongside Hailee Steinfeld in the new Romeo and Juliet — which basically ensures heart-throb status.

Photo: Michael Bowles/Rex/Rex USA.