Before La La Land, Ryan was already kinda musical. Remember Blue Valentine? He sang and played guitar in that.
But the piano was a whole other beast. For the movie, he practiced two hours a day for three months. That’s not “I’ll learn the chorus to ‘Clocks.’” That’s commitment.
By the time cameras rolled, he could play the entire, super-complicated opening sequence from memory. Without cuts. Without trickery. Just pure, sweaty, Ryan-style practice.
But Is He Actually Good? (Or Just Movie-Good?)
Here’s where it gets fun. There are actual piano teachers on YouTube who broke down his playing. Their verdict? He’s no Oscar Peterson, but he’s solid.
He uses proper fingering. He’s got decent dynamics. And he doesn’t have that stiff, “I’m reading sheet music for the first time” look that some actors have.
Plus, think about the hand close-ups. In La La Land, they didn’t cut to a stunt pianist’s hands. That’s him. Those knuckles are his knuckles.
