‘La La Land’ director in ‘shock’ over Oscar nods

TOKYO—The director of hit romantic musical “La La Land” said Friday he was jolted and honored when he learned that his film had earned a record 14 Oscar nominations.

Damien Chazelle’s whimsical tribute to Hollywood’s Golden Age of musicals topped the Academy Award nominations list on Tuesday, tying an all-time record set by “All About Eve” and “Titanic”.

READ: ‘La La Land’ and black actors score big with Oscar nods

“It was a little bit of a shock and it was a huge honor,” Chazelle told a press conference a day after the film’s Japan premiere.

The movie scored nods for best picture, best director and acting nominations for its two stars, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Its 10 other nominations came in nine categories.

“Ryan and I were staying in the same hotel when we found the news, so we were able to celebrate together with champagne,” Chazelle said.

Gosling stressed the “collaborative” nature of the production.

“If you’re lucky enough to be recognized in this way for your film in most cases only a few people are singled out,” the Canadian actor said.

Canadian actor Ryan Gosling (R) and US film director Damien Chazelle (L) pose during a photo session following a press conference for their film “La La Land” in Tokyo on January 27, 2017.
Romantic showbiz musical “La La Land” topped the Oscars nominations list on January 25 with a whopping 14 nods, tying an all-time record. AFP PHOTO

READ: Gosling dances into stars with Golden Globe for ‘La-La Land’

“So to see so many our collaborators recognized just really made it that much more special.”

When asked if he had included any references to other films in the production that have gone unnoticed, Chazelle said he might have borrowed something from a Japanese yakuza movie from the 1960s.

“I feel like I took a little from this Japanese movie “Tokyo Drifter” by Seijun Suzuki and his whole kind of oeuvre of movies,” Chazelle said.

“His super wide frames and very pop-art colors — they feel like musicals to me, but with guns.”

“Maybe that’s like a kind of hidden homage, at least not one that anyone in the US would get.”

Chazelle and Gosling also participated in a ritual ceremony and cracked open a wooden sake barrel, hoping for the movie’s success in Japan.