THEY DO IT FALL FOR US Gosling pays homage to stunt actors
■ BEHIND every mindblowing stunt in all of our favourite action movies is a fearless performer throwing themselves into harm’s way to get the perfect shot.
Whether it’s enduring a fire-ball explosion, smashing through a pane of glass or muscling through a thrillingly-choreographed fight, the key to a bloodpumping action sequence is the bravery of the stunt artists taking the fall – but rarely do they get their moment in the spotlight.
In The Fall Guy, the latest feature from Bullet Train director and former stuntman David Leitch and inspired by Glen A Larson’s 1980s television show of the same name, Ryan Gosling plays battle-scarred Colt Seavers.
After an almost-career-ending accident which sees him plunge too many storeys during a stunt, he’s been lying low and taking a break from an industry which, by its very nature, takes a huge toll on his physical and mental health.
One day, he gets a call to work on blockbuster alien romance Metalstorm, a big-budget studio movie directed by none other than Jody Moreno, played by Emily Blunt – his ex-girlfriend who he fell for (literally) when she worked as a camera operator.
However, ruthless producer
Gail, played by Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, has roped Colt into an operation bigger than he’d ever imagined: the film’s megastar Tom Ryder, played by Kick-Ass’ Aaron TaylorJohnson, has gone missing after getting mixed up with some shady guys, and Colt has been tasked with bringing him back to set.
With the future of his heartbroken ex’s debut film on the line, it’s down to Colt to find Ryder and get the production back on track and maybe, then, he can win back Jody’s heart.
The Fall Guy is a side-splitting, hair-raising action-comedyromance with high stakes and explosive action sequences to match, but it’s also a love letter to the stunt performers who make all the great movies possible.
“I just think it’s so exciting to finally be open about how much stunt performers contribute,” says Gosling (43).
“Especially for us, because they come in and they put themselves in harm’s way for us, they take hits for us, and then they hide their faces while they do it, and hide in the shadows. It’s just been so exciting to have this conversation now around, like, ‘give stunts an Oscar’, and just the artistry involved in it. It’s a fascinating job and art form, and they’re an incredible group of people, so selfless, and it’s fun to see them getting the limelight.”
“The people that make these movies really love making them, and there’s a real sort of brother and sisterhood of the people behind the camera,” adds director Leitch.
“And they’re not jaded, even though they work 15-hour days – they love movies as much as the people who go to see them.
“So it’s really like a love letter to both commercial, fun, popcorn movies and the film crews that really give their heart and soul to it.”
■ The Fall Guy is out now in cinemas. See review next page