Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have been picking up awards left, right, and centre for their dazzling musical drama, La La Land – and it’s a hot contender for the prestigious Best Picture gong at this year’s Academy Awards.

The film weaves a tale of love and friendship between aspiring actor Mia (Stone) and jazz musician Sebastian (Gosling), as they pursue their dreams in Los Angeles – a city which values commodity, praises shallowness, and prides physical appearance above all else.

And now Gosling has confirmed that his partner and fellow actor, Eva Mendes, came up with one of the film’s most profound and memorable lines.

Read more: Eva Mendes’ sweet and subtle tribute to Ryan Gosling

“‘LA worships everything and values nothing.’ That was something my lady said to me one day and I thought it was so funny I asked her if I could put it in the movie,” he told Entertainment Tonight.

Gosling continued: “She was kidding, but it’s a funny thing to say… I loved when she said it, because it’s funny enough to have some truth to it, you know?

“But it’s obviously a joke, so it just seemed appropriate for the movie.”

Read more: Ryan Gosling honours Eva Mendes in emotional speech

While the 36-year-old actor isn’t sure if Mendes will be able to join him at the Academy Awards this year, for which he is nominated Best Actor, it is thought that he will thank her in his acceptance speech.

Despite being incredibly private about his life with Mendes, he made sure to honour her and thank her for supporting his career when he picked up his gong at the Golden Globe Awards.

“I would like to try to thank one person properly,” he said. “While I was singing and dancing and playing piano and having one of the best experiences I've ever had on a film, my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second, and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer,” he told the audience. 

“If she hadn't have taken all that on so that I could have this experience, it would surely be someone else up here other than me today. So sweetheart, thank you.”

Gosling added: “To my daughters [Esmerelda and Amada], I love you.

“And if I may, I would like to dedicate this to the memory of [Eva's] brother, Juan Carlos Mendes.”

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Stone, meanwhile, is also nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars – something which she never expected in her wildest dreams, especially for a role in a musical.

In fact, before La La Land, Stone didn’t even think she could sing.

“I stopped doing musicals when I was young, because I thought I couldn’t sing,” she revealed.

“But I started taking voice lessons, and I was so happy to take on La La Land. We had the luxury of rehearsing for three months prior to filming.”

The lessons definitely paid off; Stone’s moving Audition ballad has also been nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars.

You can see all the nominations for the 2017 Academy Awards here.

Images; Rex pictures