Emma Stone Lights up TIFF with ‘La La Land’
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes may prefer to keep their personal life private, but the father of two couldn’t help but gush about his daughters to ET’s Cameron Mathison at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday. Stone and Gosling prove to be charming singers and dancers, and Gosling’s piano chops are breathtaking; meanwhile, Stone gets a moving solo number near the end that makes her an instant Oscar frontrunner.
Whiplash director Damien Chazelle has created a concoction that is both a salute to the golden age of movie musicals (and its French variations by Jacques Demy) and something utterly modern. So, we expect nothing less than perfection. This latest endeavor is the third on-screen collaboration for the beloved actors.
“We made two films together and now three, and so you know it’s great to work with people you know”, Ryan told the network. The musical film already excited audiences at the Telluride and Venice Film Festivals.
Stone, who plays an aspiring actress, said “I learned to tap and ballroom dance and sing live on camera, which was pretty insane”. “She’s wildly apologetic for no reason at all”.
Stone says she was focused in the beginning on nailing down what the tone of the movie was going to be, adding, “I couldn’t fully understand what was gonna be anamorphic [animation] and what was gonna feel a bit more grounded and realistic, and I think that Damien balanced that incredibly well”. “He’s a fantastic actor and it’s just so much fun to work with him and that’s kind of all there is to it”.
Launch the gallery at the top of the page to see photos from La La Land’s premiere at TIFF and watch Stone’s interview over on E!