Ryan Gosling is ever-so-grateful for the day he crossed paths with his wife on a movie set.

The Barbie star couldn’t help but gush over his wife, Eva Mendes, while accepting the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Saturday night.

During his acceptance speech, Gosling, 43, reflected that if there’s one thing he appreciates most about his job as an actor is that he met his now-wife and the mother of his two children.

In addition to his career bestowing him the opportunity to play various iconic roles, Gosling noted, “Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children.”

“I dreamed one day of making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream,” he gushed.

Giving credit where it’s due, the Notebook star further gave a shout-out to his mother, Donna, for recognising his knack for acting at a very young age, pushing him to pursue it as a career and “create [his] own story.”

Despite being a two-time Oscar nominee, Gosling confessed his nervousness while accepting the reward, humbly noting that he never thought he’d reach such a point in his career.

“It’s just that it’s Kirk Douglas. He’s one of the first true icons of cinema…” Gosling said. “He is completely and utterly in the class of his own, and I’m… just Ken?” he quipped, referring to his iconic role in Barbie.