Listen up, fellas! Mark Ruffalo, Ryan Gosling and more of Hollywood’s leading men have staunchly supported their female colleagues and utilized their platforms to speak out in celebration of feminism and gender equality.
The 13 Going On 30 actor is a vocal advocate for a handful of hot-button issues — and he’s not afraid to get a little backlash for speaking his mind. A member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ruffalo called for more female-led comic book stories and empowering portrayals of female superheroes while promoting Avengers: Age of Ultron.
“I think part of the problem is that people are frustrated that they want to see more women, doing more things, in superhero movies, and because we don’t have as many women as we should yet, they’re very, very sensitive to every single story line that comes up right now,” Ruffalo said during a Reddit AMA in May 2015 as the film faced criticism for how it interpreted Black Widow’s character (played by Scarlett Johansson). “When we do that with a woman, because there are so few story lines for women, we become hyper-critical of every single move that we make because there’s not much else to compare it to. … The fact that this is a debate that’s coming out of this movie is probably a positive thing.”
The Spotlight star is no stranger to using his platform to help others. Gosling, for his part, credits his family for inspiring him to take a stand.
“I think women are better than men. They are stronger, more evolved,” the La La Land actor, who shares daughters Esmeralda and Amada with Eva Mendes, told the Evening Standard in June 2016. “You can tell especially when you have daughters and you see their early stages, they are just leaps and bounds beyond boys immediately.”
Gosling pointed out that “it’s our time as men” to step up and be allies when it comes to achieving gender equality. While using their voices to champion the cause is a powerful move, Orange Is the New Black alum Matt McGorry advises his male friends and colleagues to listen more than they speak.
“Celebrities tend to get a lot of credence on these issues, and particularly as a man who is coming forward, it’s easier for me to get credit for standing up than those who are actually affected,” he told Motto in 2017, teasing, “I don’t need to be talking to women about feminism.”
Scroll down to see some of the most inspiring quotes from famous male feminists.