Are Ryan Gosling's 'Crazy, Stupid' abs for real?

By now we're all well aware that Ryan Gosling is flashing some serious six-pack action in the new comedy "Crazy, Stupid, Love" with Steve Carell. If you need a refresher, check out the trailer. (You're welcome, ladies.)

While it's impressive, Hollywood is also known for deft sleight of hand when it comes to tweaking what we see up on the big screen. So we had to wonder: Are those abs for real?

Fortunately, Ryan sat down with us and shed some light on what's really going on here. The answer might shock you:

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We didn't hold anything back. We flat-out asked Ryan if that flashy set was really his or if it was Photoshopped.

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"Actually, James Cameron has developed a program called Abatar," the star jokingly explains. "You just wear this motion-capture suit that has six balls on it, and in the scene you suddenly have muscles." Fingers crossed men everywhere can someday harness these benefits.

But while Ryan may have played a suave, muscled lady-killer, he doesn't really identify with that character, and actually went to great lengths to get inside that one-track mind. "I'm more like Steve's character in the movie than I am like my guy," he bashfully recounts. "I read all these gentleman's magazines [and] tried to follow all the lists...all the things you're supposed to wear." As if the abs weren't enough, now he adds a side of humble to the equation. This guy's good.

Check out the video for more from Ryan and his "Crazy" costars, and then catch the behind-the-scenes clips below where Ryan dishes out a playful slap that turns out to be a little too strong for Steve Carell.

WATCH: Catch a behind-the-scenes peek at the Crazy Stupid Love laughs in the making