Ryan Gosling stars in ode to Hollywood
Ryan Gosling does not equate his experience singing and dancing on “The Mickey Mouse Club” with that of his heralded new musical film “La La Land.”
“This was a little different than ‘90s hip hop,” the Oscarnominated London, Ont.native deadpanned during an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, where “La La Land” made its Canadian premiere.
Indeed, Gosling’s work during his 1990s Disney days — alongside Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera — pale in comparison to the elaborate song-anddance sequences he had to do for “La La Land,” in which he plays a jazz pianist who dreams of opening his own club in Los Angeles.
Emma Stone, who previously starred with Gosling in “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” plays a fledgling actress who falls for him and finds herself trying to compete with his soaring career.
Damien Chazelle, who got an Oscar nomination for writing “Whiplash,” directs the ode to old Hollywood, which recently won Stone a best actress award at the Venice Film Festival and is widely touted as an Oscar contender.
“I had taken some tapdancing lessons but this was very different than what I thought I had learned,” said Gosling, noting the coaches and choreographer designed sequences that were best suited to them over a threemonth rehearsal period. He also had to learn how to play piano.
“It wasn’t ever like, ‘Well here’s the routine, you have to learn that,’” he said. “For us, the main objective was to create a consistency of character so that it wasn’t like they became different people suddenly when they started singing or dancing.”
Gosling was able to help shape his character, who at one point becomes jaded with the music industry.
Asked if he’s ever been jaded in his acting career, Gosling said: “Yeah, it’s discouraging but it’s different.
“Although it’s hard because it’s personal, because when you’re rejected they’re rejecting you, when you fail in this job it’s just a personal failure,” added Gosling, who got a best actor Oscar nomination for “Half Nelson.”
“It’s not like you’ve failed someone you were operating on. The stakes are not that high, it’s just personal failure and personal rejection, which is not pleasant.”