La La Land is an escape for cinema audiences, says Ryan Gosling
RYAN GOSLING has said he feared the days of old Hollywood musicals were over before he made his Oscar-tipped new film La La Land.
Ryan Gosling thought Hollywood musicals were gone for good before he made La La Land
The Canadian actor joined co-star Emma Stone and director Damien Chazelle at the movie's premiere in Los Angeles.
Gosling plays a musician who falls in love with an aspiring actress played by Stone in the musical comedy-drama, which critics have hailed as an early favourite for Academy Award success.
Speaking at the premiere, Gosling said he believed the movie offered "an escape" for cinema audiences.
He told the Press Association: "Movies can be an escape. I think there's a theme in the movie that shouldn't be escaped - the idea of pursuing your dreams despite the obstacles.
"(Damien) had a great vision for this, and I think we all thought this ship had sailed and we wouldn't have the opportunity to make an old Hollywood musical, so we're all very grateful to him."
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star in La La Land
Gosling stars with Emma Stone in the Oscar-tipped new film
Chazelle, who directed the Oscar-winning 2014 film Whiplash, said many people in the industry believed La La Land would not make it to the big screen.
I think there's a theme in the movie that shouldn't be escaped
He said: "I think the key was to not let go of the dream because this was a movie that they told me for a while would never get made.
"To not accept that, to keep pushing, to keep dreaming - that, I hope, is the message of the movie."
La La Land producer Marc Platt denied there was added pressure on the film because of the Oscar buzz surrounding it.
People in the industry thought La La Land would never get made
He said: "You work hard to make a film, you're proud of the film, you hope people love it and everything after that is icing on the cake.
"I think we live in complicated times and I think the best of cinema is the kind of cinema that transports you out of your life and takes you on a journey. That's what La La Land seems to be able to do to people.
Leads Gosling and Stone attend the film's premiere
"The sheer delight and the romanticism of the film, the film-making itself, it brings a smile to your face. It makes you think about your life and the choices you've made."
La La Land is released in the US on Friday and in UK cinemas on January 13.