A photo of Ryan Gosling smirking at the Oscars was one indelible image that emerged from the chaos of the best-picture mix-up this year — and the La La Land star has revealed what was behind his amused expression.
The Canadian actor was standing alongside the film's creative team onstage after their film was announced as winner of best picture when "people start to have this panicked reaction in the crowd and guys were coming on with headsets and I felt like someone had been hurt," he said, describing the moment as "surreal."
"I thought there was some kind of medical situation, and I had this worst-case scenario playing out in my head ... and then I just heard Moonlight won and I was so relieved that I started laughing," he said.
No stranger to pop culture memes, Ryan Gosling's apparently amused reaction to Moonlight being clarified as the real Oscar winner for best picture (and not his film La La Land) was widely shared. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/Associated Press)
Gosling made the revelation during an onstage chat with Adobe Chief Marketing Officer Ann Lewnes, as part of the tech company's keynote presentation for its Adobe Summit in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
"Truthfully, I was also so thrilled that Moonlight won. I know the director [Barry Jenkins] ...I've worked with them before," Gosling continued.
"It's such a groundbreaking film, made for a million dollars, and [an] incredible achievement and I'm so happy for them that they were being recognized."
In addition to revisiting Oscar night, Gosling's chat with Lewnes was wide-ranging, with the actor joking about attending the workshop in hopes of learning Photoshop, ribbing her about rival Apple's editing software Final Cut, discussing his experiences with social media and meme culture as well as tackling more serious topics like the importance of storytelling and taking risks in movies.
Lewnes talked to actor and producer George Clooney at last year's event.
'I was so relieved that I started laughing,' Canadian actor Gosling said of learnng Oscar night mixup was the wrong film announced and not a more serious incident. (Jeff Bottari/Associated Press)
