SEATTLE — New movie “The Fall Guy” has a dizzying amount of practical, old-school stunts – from explosions and car chases to boat jumps and long falls.
But it also offers a serious peek behind the curtain at actual movie-making – the vision of stuntman-turned-director David Leitch.
"I've grown up my entire adult life on sets working and being a journeyman stunt performer, I just wanted to immerse the audience immediately in it,” he said.
Loosely based on the 1980’s television series, the film follows stunt performer Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), as he works on a movie directed by his ex-girlfriend Jody (Emily Blunt).
Their reconciliation is threatened by a missing actor, murder, sword fights, car chases and death-defying leaps. Every moment is a tribute to stunt teams who create movie magic.
"I've had a stunt double my whole life - I mean, not one, but on every job one on some level or another - and they come in, they risk everything, they do all the cool stuff and then they leave, and it's sort of like no one talks about it,” Gosling said.
Blunt added, “And it's so selfless what they do - completely selfless. And they're also always some of the best people on a film set. And they're so proud of you when you pull off something - to get their badge of honor, it's just the best."
The screenplay reflects reverence for stunt performers – and, in general, the village required to make a movie.
"My favorite Easter egg of ‘The Fall Guy’ is that there were a lot of crew people who were on our crew and actually make cameos in our film, so it's super inside baseball in that way,” said Stephanie Hsu.
The movie also made stunt history. Driver Logan Holladay flipped a Jeep Grand Cherokee and executed 8 ½ cannon rolls, setting a world record.
The actors also performed some less dangerous stunts of their own.
“I'm from the Caribbean and I grew up kind of making these little obstacle courses with my cousins and my friends,” said Winston Duke. “After watching action movies, we would try and reenact some of the fight scenes and we would do little jumps. And that little kid, seeing who I became, would be so proud."
A love letter to moviemaking, “The Fall Guy” is fun from start to finish – and meant to be enjoyed on the biggest screen possible.
It opens in theaters May 3.
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