La La Land owes a lot to movie musicals of yesteryear, the kind with which the late Debbie Reynolds will forever be associated. So, at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Ryan Gosling took a moment to honor Reynolds’ legacy and how it impacted his new film. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Gosling was accepting the Vanguard Award for La La Land’s cast and director when he noted how influential Reynolds was. “I wish I could have said this in person, but I’d like to thank Debbie Reynolds for her wonderful career of work,” he said. “She was an inspiration to us every day. We watched Singin’ In The Rain every day for inspiration.” He called her an “unparalleled talent.”
Reynolds learned to dance when she was cast in the 1952 MGM classic, and her tapping alongside Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor became iconic. La La Land follows in Singin’ In The Rain’s footsteps by sharing an affinity for Hollywood’s starry-eyed dreamers.