CALIFORNIA, United States (Reuters) — Fans of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling turned out on Hollywood Boulevard on Wednesday (December 7) to catch a glimpse of the stars of the likely Oscar-contender “La La Land” as they had imprints of their hands and feet immortalized in cement.
“La La Land,” a modern-day musical love story of two struggling artists in Los Angeles, has cemented its Hollywood awards season front-runner status by simultaneously leading the nominees for Critics’ Choice Awards and being named best picture by New York film critics.
Addressing fans at the hand and feet ceremony outside the fabled TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Stone recalled visiting the theater when she first moved to Los Angeles to look at the imprints of Hollywood greats.
“I moved to LA when I was 15 and I came here and my hands are an exact match for Jane Russell’s so if you’re looking for a Jane Russell hand-double, I’m your girl,” Stone said.
“This is just an incredible experience and making this movie was an incredible experience so what a place to get to commemorate that so thanks so much for having us here today,” she added.
As Gosling approached the podium, the audience erupted into screams and cheers to which Gosling joked “it’s my mom and her friends, I told them not to come but they insisted.”
“La La Land” is the second feature by the 31 year-old writer/director of “Whiplash” Damien Chazelle. The film is a modern musical inspired by old Hollywood about a jazz pianist who falls for an aspiring actress in LA.
“La La Land” marks the third time that Stone and Gosling have appeared on screen together. The film has already received a slew of awards and is tipped to scoop both Oscars and Golden Globes in the new year.
“La La Land” opens in US theaters on limited release on December 9 before opening wide on December 16.
