Trivia

According to composer Justin Hurwitz, all the piano performances featured in the film were first recorded by pianist Randy Kerber during pre-production. Ryan Gosling then spent two hours a day, six days a week in piano lessons learning the music by heart. By the time filming had begun, Gosling was able to play all the piano sequences seen in the film without the use of a hand double or CGI.

The audition scene, where the casting director interrupts Mia's emotional performance to take a phone call, was actually inspired by one of Ryan Gosling's auditions in real life.

The line in the film said by Sebastian, "that's L.A. They worship everything and they value nothing," was actually added in by Ryan Gosling himself, when he heard his real-life partner, Eva Mendes, mention it as a joke.

The crew had a limited time window of 30 minutes (director of photography Linus Sandgren said it was exactly between 7.20 - 7.50 pm) within two days to film the magic hour dusky purple twilight Hollywood Hills dance sequence. According to Damien Chazelle, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling managed five takes in two days, where after each take, they would go back to the starting point with the assistants wiping their sweat before starting the dance routine again. The fourth take is the one used in the final film.

Emma Stone performed "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" live. She would decide when to switch from dialogue to singing. There was no pre-recorded track she was lip-syncing to. Justin Hurwitz, the song's composer, was in another room playing piano in her ear. Director Damien Chazelle said this was done so Emma could have more control of the scene.

Olivia Hamilton: Writer and director Damien Chazelle's girlfriend plays a customer requesting a refund for her pastry in the cafe in the first half of the film.

Marc Platt: the film producer is one of the cheering spectators during "Another Day of Sun" when the truck drum and dance performance begins. He is a conspicuously older man on the left side of the frame.

Anna Chazelle: Damien Chazelle's sister plays the casting director who operates the camera during Mia's callback. She also makes an appearance in the film's opening number, as the hula-hooper on top of a car on the freeway.

Damien Chazelle: [song] The song "When I Wake" by Justin Hurwitz was first featured in the movie Whiplash (2014), with the two main characters listening to the song while out on a date. The same thing happens in La La Land as the song is featured in the background while Sebastian and Mia are talking about jazz - exactly the same topic the two characters from Whiplash were discussing.

Damien Chazelle: [Simmons] J.K. Simmons plays a similarly negative character in this and Chazelle's previous film, Whiplash (2014). In the earlier film his character is a jazz obsessive, in this, a jazz hater.

Damien Chazelle: [Parker] Characters in both Whiplash (2014) and La La Land discuss Charlie Parker and the possible reason for his being called "Bird."

Damien Chazelle: [shadow play scenes] In La La Land (2016), during the final montage, when Mia successfully completes the audition (around 1h 54min in the movie). In Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), during the 'Boy in the park' musical segment (around 1h 8min in the movie).

Damien Chazelle: [usage of the whip-pan transition] In La La Land (2016), when Sebastian is playing the piano at the Jazz club and Mia is dancing. In Whiplash (2014), when Fletcher is directing and Andrew plays the drum set. In Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), when Guy is playing the trumpet and a guy is dancing in the room next door.