Oscar nominee and three-time Golden Globe nominee Ryan Gosling appeared on the December 7 broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
While Gosling is known for taking on dark roles and indie fare, his turn in the movie musical La La Land is generating critical acclaim and Oscar-contender rumblings. The film screens in select theatres in New York and Los Angeles beginning December 9 and opens in theatres nationwide December 15.
With music by Justin Hurwitz and lyrics by Broadway’s Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (their Dear Evan Hansen just opened to raves December 4), Damien Chazelle’s movie is an ode to the MGM movie musicals of old. The story of jazz pianist Sebastian (Gosling) who falls for an aspiring L.A. actor (Emma Stone) won Best Film of 2016 by the New York Film Critics Circle and previously won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.
As late-night host Kimmel said of Gosling’s song-and-dance skills, “You dug deep down to those Mickey Mouse Club roots.”
About the current state of his waltz and soft-shoe skills, Gosling said, “I forget everything. As soon as we did it, I emptied out my brain and programmed it with whatever was coming up next. It’s gone.”
But Kimmel wanted to put that claim to the test and asked Gosling for a waltz lesson. “Where are you looking?” Gosling asks Kimmel because of his lack of eye contact. “It’s about this,” he said, gesturing to his eyes. “I want to feel like I’m the only person in the room.”
Prior to the dancing, Gosling arrived on the show with gifts in hand for Kimmel, including a fake Oscar to honor his upcoming hosting gig at the 2017 Academy Awards. The actor revealed his awkward Oscar moment from 2016 when Chris Rock hosted.
Gosling also talked about putting his handprints in the cement; the La La Land star joked about the strange positions you have to be in while making your mark.
Aside from La La Land, Gosling will also be seen in the upcoming Blade Runner with Harrison Ford. The two filmed together in Budapest, and Gosling told Kimmel the most surprising thing about Ford.
If his dance moves weren’t enough, Gosling also proved he’s quite the musician. His character in the movie is a jazz pianist, and Gosling plays piano in real life. He talked about filming the music scenes after viewing a clip from La La Land, also featuring Oscar winner J.K. Simmons.
