Ryan Gosling says he thinks women are 'better than men'

LONDON, June 3 (UPI) -- Ryan Gosling is voicing his love and respect for women once again.

The 35-year-old Canadian actor whose feminist views have inspired many a "Hey, Girl" meme, expressed his admiration for the female sex in the June 3 issue of ES Magazine.

"I think women are better than men," Gosling declared. "They are stronger, more evolved. You can tell especially when you have daughters and you see their early stages, they are just leaps and bounds beyond boys immediately."

The Nice Guys star has first-hand experience as the father of two daughters with partner Eva Mendes: 20-month Esmeralda and 1-month-old Amada. He says he hopes to see a female president take the White House as he and Mendes raise their girls.

"I think [America] needs a woman's touch," the star said. "I've always liked women more. I was brought up by my mother and older sister ... My home life is now mostly women. They are better than us. They make me better."

Gosling previously told Sunday Style "all men felt like wolves" as he was growing up with a single mom. He acknowledged his status as a poster boy for feminism, but denied he consciously promotes himself as a champion for women.

"I have very strong female characters in my life," the actor explained. "I grew up with strong women and the amount of them grows exponentially as time goes on, in my world. And that's my reality. So, I just tend to gravitate towards stories with strong female characters."

Gosling will next star in Weightless with Christian Bale. He is also slated for La La Land with Emma Stone and the untitled Blade Runner sequel with Robin Wright and Harrison Ford.