Ryan Gosling was almost a Backstreet Boy

A.J McLean told celebrity news website TMZ that Ryan initially turned down the opportunity to join the Backstreet Boys, believing the group was just a "New Kids [On The Block] rip off."

McLean said Ryan changed his mind when the band hit the big time and tried to call McLean to express interest– but by then it was too late.

"[Ryan] and I used to live in the same apartment complex … when he was on The Mickey Mouse Club," McLean said.

"He didn’t think [the Backstreet Boys] was going to go anywhere, but then it did, and he kinda missed the boat," he added.

"He can sing his ass off. He's not only a great actor and a handsome man."

Can you imagine if Ryan Gosling was in the Backstreet Boys? Would we still have the slew of adorable film characters he has portrayed? Would we still have the Ryan Gosling imagined as a feminist Internet meme?

In 2013, would Ryan Gosling be nothing more than a washed-up 90s boy band member?

The thought is too horrific to contemplate.

Looks like you dodged a bullet there, Ryan.