The 'La La Land' Poster Was Just Officially Edited To Fix Ryan Gosling's Bent Hand—And Fans Have Thoughts

If you've spent the last decade unable to unsee Ryan Gosling's oddly bent hand on the La La Land poster, you're not alone. The visual quirk became an enduring talking point among fans. And now, for the film's 10-year anniversary, it's officially been fixed.

The poster for the iconic 2016 musical has been subtly adjusted ahead of its theatrical re-release on August 16 to celebrate its 10th anniversary. While the original artwork shows Gosling's character, Sebastian, with his hand tilted downward in the famous dance pose, the updated version straightens it to mirror Emma Stone's Mia.

It's a small change, but one that fans have noticed for years—and one Gosling himself has previously admitted he'd like to see corrected.

The film's official social media account acknowledged the update with a simple caption:

"A minor adjustment.”

While the change may seem subtle at first glance, comparing the two posters side by side makes the updated hand position much easier to spot.

You can view the post here:

The poster tweak also comes after Gosling openly discussed the infamous pose during an interview with WSJ Magazine, revealing that the image has bothered him ever since it became the film's official poster.

Gosling reflected on why the hand moment in the poster really irked him:

“There’s a moment that haunts me where we’re dancing, Emma and I. I didn’t know this would become the poster for the movie.”

Gosling went on to admit that the unusual hand position wasn't an accident. He intentionally posed that way because he thought it looked "cool," despite people on set encouraging him to position it differently. After later learning that dancers have a term for stiff hand placement, he laughed at himself, joking, "Hamburger hands, Gosling over here."

During the interview, which was covered by Variety, the interviewer explained that dancers use the phrase "hamburger hands" to describe stiff, lifeless, or flat hand positioning—a description Gosling happily embraced while poking fun at his own styling choice.

You can see the interview here:

If the updated artwork still looks nearly identical to you, several fans have shared side-by-side comparisons that highlight the subtle differences between the original poster and the revised version.

Don’t see the difference? Take a look at the comparison below:

Released in 2016, La La Land starred Gosling and Stone as Sebastian and Mia, two aspiring artists pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles while navigating the highs and lows of romance and ambition. Directed by Damien Chazelle, the musical became both a critical and commercial success, earning more than $504.6 million worldwide against a reported $30 million budget.

The press release explained why the poster was finally updated:

“Over the years, Ryan Gosling has noted on more than one occasion that he would love to fix his ‘La La Hand’ from the original poster, most recently with a new dance partner [Rocky, Project Hail Mary]...”

The film went on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Director for Chazelle, Best Actress for Stone, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song for "City of Stars," and Best Production Design. Gosling also received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Lionsgate also confirmed that Gosling’s request had finally been answered:

“Well, Ryan, you have been heard! Lionsgate is thrilled to announce that an updated version of the poster is now officially available.”

The reveal of the poster can be seen here:

The updated artwork arrives as La La Land prepares to return to theaters nationwide on August 16, 2026, with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos presentations as part of its anniversary celebrations, alongside a series of global live concert events.

The revised artwork sparked plenty of discussion across social media, with fans weighing in on the long-awaited fix:

In the meantime, fans have also noticed that Gosling appears to have made a habit of keeping his hand perfectly straight whenever he recreates the film's signature pose in recent appearances.

While promoting Project Hail Mary, Gosling filmed this bit:

Safe to say Gosling is finally leaving the hamburger hands behind.