Ryan Gosling explains The Lovely Bones departure

Half Nelson star Ryan Gosling has spoken out amid reports he was fired from the set of Peter Jackson's new movie The Lovely Bones.

Gosling, who was to star as the father of a murdered girl who watches from heaven as her family cope with their loss, told Parade.com that rather than being replaced because he was difficult to work with, it was more a case of things just not working.

"Peter and I tried to make it work and ultimately it just didn't," the website quotes him as saying. "I think people are making it a far more interesting story than it really is."

Various reasons for Gosling's departure circulated last week, with Us Weekly magazine reporting that his weight gain was to blame.

However, the actor - who shot to fame in period romance The Notebook - maintained that he was happy for Mark Wahlberg to replace him in the role and is looking forward to seeing the film.

The Lovely Bones is based on a novel of the same name and is due for release next year. It is also set to star Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon and The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli.

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