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After the resounding success of “Barbie”, Ryan Gosling took advantage of the Los Angeles premiere of his next film “The Fall Guy” to cede the spotlight to the unsung heroes of Hollywood: the stuntmen.
Loosely based on the 1980s television series of the same name, “The Fall Guy” stars Gosling as a veteran stuntman who must recover from a serious on-set injury to save an old flame (Emily Blunt ) of a mysterious real-world threat. .
The film's release comes as pressure mounts in Hollywood for stunt performers to receive more recognition, including an Oscar category of their own.
“He's been torched eight times for me,” Gosling said, pointing to one of his stunt doubles at Tuesday's red carpet event.
“How do you thank someone for that?”
In the film, Gosling's hero must rely on all his impressive stunts and know-how – leading high-speed chases and fighting off goons with hastily improvised weapons – to save the day and win the girl back .
These techniques were on display alongside A-list stars at the Los Angeles premiere, as stuntmen roared their motorcycles down the red carpet, jumped from a sky-high platform and brawled through glass.
“We just went out and tried to break some glass and put on a fun show for everyone,” stuntman Justin Eaton joked.
“The Fall Guy,” which hits U.S. theaters Friday, is directed by David Leitch, a former stuntman who took shots for Matt Damon in “The Bourne Ultimatum” and Brad Pitt in “Fight Club,” among others.
Leitch made the big leap into directing with the 2014 hit “John Wick,” and has since directed blockbusters like “Atomic Blonde,” “Deadpool 2” and “Bullet Train.”
But “The Fall Guy” is Leitch’s first film to specifically highlight and honor his former profession.
And with computer-generated visual effects increasingly used for action sequences in Hollywood films, Leitch relished the opportunity to put some of the industry's best to work on the kind of old-school practical stunts which are rarely done on camera these days.
“It was really important. We wanted to look at practical (stunts) because it was a celebration of the craft of the stunt communities,” he told AFP.
“So we relied on classic stunts and did them for real.”
Gosling's final role required several specialized stunt performers.
Logan Holladay, a driving stunt expert, broke a world record during the film, transforming a fast car into an astonishing eight-and-a-half sideways “cannon rolls.”
Calls are growing for a “best stunt” category at the Oscars, with supporters saying their contribution is equal to that of the sound mixers, makeup artists and visual effects gurus already honored.
“You can get the Oscar for best screenplay by typing in your shed for a year,” said Drew Pearce, the film's screenwriter.
“You literally have to risk death every day – and not just metaphorical death, but actual death – to be a stuntman.”
The work of stuntmen is already recognized at prestigious ceremonies in cinema and television, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
“The Fall Guy” stars Gosling and Blunt paid tribute to stuntmen at this year's Oscars, presenting a video montage featuring stunning footage from Charlie Chaplin to Leitch's “John Wick” films.
“They have played a crucial role in our community since the beginning of cinema,” Gosling said at the Academy Awards in April.
It remains to be seen whether this campaign will prevail. But for now, the film has at least raised awareness of the risks of the profession.
“(As) people who work in the shadows, we accept it, we signed up for it,” Eaton said.
“But just having some recognition from our audience is really the most important thing.”
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