Ellen DeGeneres Reveals She Was the "First Choice" for La La Land: "I Shouldn't Have Dropped Out"

It seems Emma Stone wasn't always the top pick, according to the daytime talk show host

By Samantha Schnurr Jan 18, 2017 4:25 PMTags
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While we know Emma Stone earned her first Golden Globe Award for her performance in La La Land, initially the role was slated for another Hollywood leading lady. Well, in her dreams, at least.

During her daytime talk show on Wednesday, Ellen DeGeneres aired a behind-the-scenes trailer featuring the film's director, Damien Chazelle. However, the audience soon realized the footage was masterfully edited to suggest the comedian had been picked for Stone's character first. 

"When we were casting up the movie, part of the appeal to me was that you know that they're going to be a couple," Chazelle says while footage of DeGeneres in Ryan Gosling's arms played. "You can see them and imagine them together, just like Fred [Astaire] and Ginger [Rogers] or [Humphrey] Bogart and [Lauren] Bacall—a classic hollywood screen couple." 

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As Chazelle's compliments poured in, DeGeneres then appeared in a re-cut portion of the trailer for the film dressed in 1940s glamour with her full name in the credits.  

"Each of them on their own is just a phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal actor, so to get the chance to work with both of them is just a complete dream come true," the director added. 

As the package finished, the audience couldn't contains its laughter. "I shouldn't have dropped out," DeGeneres quipped. 

In real life, the dreamy footage of DeGeneres in Gosling's arms was from her previous interview with the star on the show. During their chat, Gosling revealed exactly how long—or short—he spent learning the piano for his Golden Globe-winning performance in the year's most buzzed about film. 

"For me, it was a great opportunity to sit down for three months and practice," he said at the time. "I have a keyboard that I carried around with me anytime I had a spare second, I was practicing. It was a lot."

But, it paid off—with or without Ellen at his side.