‘I was so relieved’ Ryan Gosling on THAT infamous Oscar mix-up

The La La Land / Moonlight mix-up during the 89th Academy Awards will go down in Oscar history, not least because of Ryan Gosling's somewhat surprising reaction to learning he had not, in fact, bagged himself a little gold statue as audience members and viewers understood.

While many would have understood a disappointed or even frustrated response from La La Land's leading man, Ryan surprised fans by giggling into his sleeve after word landed that the musical had been awarded Best Picture in error.

Standing among stunned cast and crew on stage, Ryan attempted to hide a smirk behind his hand, but now, one month on, is at pains to explain his odd reaction.

"What really was happening as I was watching, it was surreal anyway, I was watching people start to have this panicked reaction in the crowd and guys were coming on with headsets and I felt like someone had been hurt," he said.

Speaking to People magazine, the 36-year-old insisted that his reaction was one of relief because the initial chaos led him to believe that someone had been taken ill.

"I thought there was some kind of medical situation, and I had this worst-case scenario playing out in my head," he said when reflecting on the confusion which played out in front of millions of viewers worldwide.

Recalling the moment it all became clear, he said: "And then I just heard Moonlight won and I was so relieved that I started laughing.”

And lest there be any confusion over his response to the loss, he added: "Truthfully, I was also so thrilled that Moonlight won. I know the director. I’ve worked with them before. I’m so happy for them that they were being recognised."

So, now we know.

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