What HAS happened to Ryan Gosling's face? From Tom Cruise to Zac Efron, CAROLINE BULLOCK says too many Hollywood hunks now look more chipmunk than chiseled!

He's hung up Ken's Stetson but Ryan Gosling's apparent passion for plastic might extend beyond playing Barbie's boyfriend.

With a waxy shine and seemingly inflated cheeks, 43-year-old Gosling is causing something of a stir among disconcerted fans on social media.

Has he been primping and pumping, some wonder. He looks more like Amy Schumer than the fine-featured leading man we all adore, others say.

And while it's not known if he's turned to the usual arsenal of injectables in an attempt to turn back the clock, he's certainly not the only male A-lister whose looking rather more chipmunk than chiseled of late.

Indeed, as a coterie of Hollywood heartthrobs reach a certain age, it seems that tucks and tweakments are no longer just the preserve of our favourite female stars.

Far too many big-screen boys are now united in the mistaken belief that padded and puffed equates to youthful bloom.

As a result, needless enhancements tend to render our superstars pale imitations of their formerly exquisite selves, sucking out the character and charm from their rugged good looks.

Has Gosling been primping and pumping, some wonder. He looks more like Amy Schumer than the fine-featured leading man we all adore, others say.

While it's not known if he's turned to the usual arsenal of injectables in an attempt to turn back the clock, he's certainly not the only male A-lister whose looking rather more chipmunk than chiseled of late.

What ever happened to the golden generation of movie men who stayed hot while gracefully growing craggier and more grizzled?

Steve McQueen, Harrison Ford, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Richard Gere – a collective appeal undimmed by a creased forehead and hooded eyes.

In fact, as gravitas and weathered grit replaced boyish charm, many just get better and better as the years ticked by.

Would Steve McQueen have stayed an icon if every fine line from fast-living and chain-smoking had been erased with a swollen pillow face?

What about Harrison Ford in his 1980s peak? Imagine his eyes frozen and alarmed instead of sultry and knowing.

Today's artistes are staying tight (and fuller) lipped on exactly what they have done and that's leading to endless unwelcome scrutiny.

61-year-old Tom Cruise, still at the top of his game and doing his own stunts, is a case in point.

Blame it on his own self-imposed time warp churning out another Mission Impossible or resurrecting his 1986 smash Top Gun, but rumored efforts to preserve his boyish looks may have led to drastic measures.

At a 2021 basketball game in San Fransisco, the actor's face looked to be more pumped-up than any of the action on court.

Blame it on his own self-imposed time warp churning out another Mission Impossible or resurrecting his 1986 smash Top Gun, but rumored efforts to preserve Cruise's boyish looks may have led to drastic measures. (Pictured: Cruise in 2021)

The High School Musical star Zac Efron – just 36 years old – blamed a collision with a granite fountain at his home for the new face that popped up in 2022. (Pictured: Efron in 2022).

Some suggest the apparent swelling could have been an allergic reaction. Others wondered about lockdown weight gain.

And for for a man with access to the world's best practitioners and personal trainers, it felt safe to say the bum-look hadn't been intentional.

Then there's James Bond star Daniel Craig whose most recent outing in the film franchise, No Time to Die, revealed he had no time for jowls.

Famed for bringing some much-needed masculinity to the Bond role, a pre-publicity trail makeover appeared to have given the 56-year-old a bad bout of facial rigor mortis.

Though it's all small fry compared to Zac Efron's jaw-gate saga.

The High School Musical star – just 36 years old – blamed a collision with a granite fountain at his home for the new face that popped up in 2022. Truly, such a mishap could only afflict the rich and famous of La La Land.

Some may be inclined to put a progressive spin on today's crop of more primped male stars.

Hollywood's men are finally facing the same pressures over ageing as their female counterparts. Wage equality must be just around the corner!

Brad Pitt's lifted contours have been subject to repeated rumors for good reason. Sporting a jawline as sharp as when he was modeling Levi jeans in his twenties, the 60-year-old appears to have no plans to relinquish to his looks.

Plus, there are growing concerns over the age gaps in on-screen relationships – the older man and much younger women dynamic served up as the norm for decades is now more troublesome in a post-MeToo era.

But, whatever these chaps are doing, it's just not a good look.

Aligning oneself with the vapid vanity of the time-rich juvederm junkies who plague our social media feeds is something that seems a little beneath a major Hollywood player.

Of course, some ageless male stars are setting the bar high.

Brad Pitt's lifted contours have been subject to repeated rumors for good reason.

Sporting a jawline as sharp as when he was modeling Levi's jeans in his twenties, the 60-year-old appears to have no plans to relinquish to his looks. (Could his silken complexion have something to do with his own skincare brand, Le Domaine?)

As for Mr Gosling, he almost won an Oscar for his rousing song 'I'm just Ken' in the Barbie movie – a macho celebration of the world's most famous male doll.

Following his recent appearances, however, I fear life is in danger of imitating art.