Ryan Gosling has spent years joking that one small choice in La La Land followed him everywhere: the relaxed, flat-handed pose he made during a dance sequence that later became a defining image on the film’s promotional artwork.
‘I thought we were supposed to have our hands up and I thought it’d be cool to put my hand like that,’ the 45-year-old Canadian actor told WSJ Style in 2024.
‘Even though everyone told me it wasn’t cool, I was sure that that was cooler than that. And now when I look at it, and I have to see it all the time, you know, it would’ve been cooler than this. That.
‘It just killed the energy that way. It was sort of like all leading to what? Just like a lazy, I call it “La La Hand.”‘
The bit clearly stuck with him. Last March, Gosling even revisited Griffith Park to redo the pose properly for an Instagram promotion tied to his upcoming sci-fi movie, Project Hail Mary.
Now, Gosling’s long-running poster regret appears to have been put to rest. On Monday, Lionsgate revealed a revised La La Land poster for the film’s 10th anniversary re-release, which begins August 16, showing his hand lifted upward to match Emma Stone’s pose.
Ryan Gosling has long joked about being ‘haunted’ by the flat-handed pose from a La La Land dance scene that became part of the 2016 film’s official artwork
‘You can see they are vastly different…It’s like night and day. I think [Gosling] will [be happy],’ Lionsgate EVP and Head of Worldwide TV Marketing Justin Manfredi said at Monday’s event.
‘In fact, we know he’s happy because we let him know and he approved it. So it is approved. So moving forward, from this night starting at 7pm, rolling across every platform in the world we will be updating this art to the official art for La La Land.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Gosling’s representatives for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
On La La Land’s announcement, Instagram users like @jorpatmur immediately noticed the ‘minor adjustment’ and reacted: ‘Y’ALL MOVED THE HAND?’
‘Oh my god someone tell Ryan right now,’ Instagram user @ashley.lavalle commented.
‘RIP LA LA HAND (2016-2026),’ Instagram user @ericcameronfilms wrote. ‘You will be missed (but Ryan will be so happy).’
Instagram user @chloverj82 was angry after making a lifetime commitment: ‘I got it tattooed the other way. So, respectfully, don’t even.’
‘I thought the hand was cool cause it show they weren’t compatible in the end,’ Instagram user @cody_cassell_official mused.
And Instagram user @graceyurchuk demanded: ‘Reverse the La La Hand IMMEDIATELY!’
But Gosling’s nightmare officially ended on Monday when Lionsgate unveiled the retouched La La Land poster in honor of the 10th anniversary re-release beginning August 16
The new poster (L) now shows Gosling with his hand pointed up like Emma Stone’s
Gosling was so frustrated he recreated the pose, the correct way, in Griffith Park last March for an Instagram promo hyping his sci-fi flick, Project Hail Mary
‘We know he’s happy because we let him know and he approved it. So it is approved. So moving forward, from this night starting at 7pm, rolling across every platform in the world we will be updating this art to the official art for La La Land,’ Lionsgate staffer Justin Manfredi said at the event Monday
On La La Land’s announcement, Instagram users like @jorpatmur immediately noticed the ‘minor adjustment’ and reacted: ‘Y’ALL MOVED THE HAND?’
‘Oh my god someone tell Ryan right now,’ Instagram user @ashley.lavalle commented
‘RIP LA LA HAND (2016-2026),’ Instagram user @ericcameronfilms wrote. ‘You will be missed (but Ryan will be so happy)’
Instagram user @chloverj82 was angry after making a lifetime commitment: ‘I got it tattooed the other way. So, respectfully, don’t even’
‘I thought the hand was cool cause it show they weren’t compatible in the end,’ Instagram user @cody_cassell_official mused
And Instagram user @graceyurchuk demanded: ‘Reverse the La La Hand IMMEDIATELY!’
In Damien Chazelle’s romantic musical dramedy, Gosling portrayed pianist Seb Wilder, who wants to ‘save jazz’ by opening a club and falls in love with aspiring actress Mia Dolan (Stone)
La La Land won six Oscars at the notorious 89th Academy Awards, during which the movie was accidentally announced as best picture before the honor went to Moonlight
In Damien Chazelle’s romantic musical dramedy, Gosling portrayed pianist Seb Wilder, who wants to ‘save jazz’ by opening a club and falls in love with aspiring actress Mia Dolan (Stone).
The beloved Lionsgate flick impressively amassed $504.6 million from a $30 million budget.
La La Land won six Oscars at the notorious 89th Academy Awards, during which the movie was accidentally announced as best picture before the honor went to Moonlight.
The Golden Globe winner’s upcoming films include Disney space opera Star Wars: Starfighter, Amazon action comedy Tough Guys and he’s producing Amazon’s romantic drama Love of Your Life.
