Ryan Gosling is taking a break from acting to avoid becoming over overexposed.

The 32-year-old, who began performing when he was eight, has starred in back-to-back box office hits from Crazy, Stupid, Love to The Ides of March, and now he's stepping back from the spotlight to add some perspective to his life.

He tells the Associated Press, "I've been doing (acting) it too much. I've lost perspective on what I'm doing. I think it's good for me to take a break and reassess why I'm doing it and how I'm doing it. And I think this is probably a good way to learn about that. I need a break from myself as much as I imagine the audience does."

And the hunk is convinced the time off will prevent him from making a career mistake - or feeling too complacent, he adds, "The more opportunities I'm given, the more I learn about how easy it is to (f--k) it up. You fight for freedom and then you get it, and then you have enough rope to hang yourself. It's like trying to exercise some restraint because I do have so much freedom."