He’s tap-danced his way to Golden Globes success in La La Land, but Ryan Gosling’s dancing skills haven’t always been quite as smooth.
In an old video dug up for The Graham Norton Show, the actor can be seen pulling off some really rather astonishing moves as a pre-teen, wearing silver Hammer pants and flanked by an equally enthusiastic squad of back-up dancers in purple tutus. And there was us thinking that our old Facebook tagged photos were humiliating enough…
Joined on Graham’s sofa by his La La Land co-star and Live By Night’s Ben Affleck and Sienna Miller, Ryan went on to explain his short-lived dancing career.
‘It’s a cut throat business and I had to get out,’ he joked. ‘I was on some kind of Canadian Star Search and I somehow made it to the finals, and my main competition were these two twins who were tap dancers, and they were dancing to Phil Collins’ ‘Two Hearts.’’
‘I remember wishing them luck and going on stage and I was getting ready to start […] Then I looked up just off stage and the two twins are standing there like the twins from The Shining, and they’re just going like this [at which point Ryan recreates the not-particularly-polite hand gesture in question…]’
‘I was like “Alright. This means war.” And I just shimmied my way all the way to that tiny little trophy.’
After this anecdote, viewers were treated to the video in question, which sees Ryan getting down to ‘Touch Me (All Night Long)’, a ‘90s hit by Cathy Dennis (who is also responsible for writing pop gold like ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head,’ ‘Toxic’ and the theme tune to Pop Idol).
As for those shiny Hammer pants, they were very much Ryan’s personal choice. ‘I wish I could say someone said, “Here, you have to wear this” but that was my idea,’ he told Norton. ‘I thought, “I have a vision for this number – silver Hammer pants.”’
‘I don’t think we gave them enough of a shot,’ he contemplated. We think it’s safe to say that if anyone can bring back Hammer pants, it’s probably Ryan Gosling…
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