The Fall Guy Director David Leitch Is Sick Of The Oscars Snubbing Stunt Teams
Before he became a director on films like "John Wick" and "Atomic Blonde," David Leitch used to be a stunt performer. The man broke into the business after acting as a stunt double for Brad Pitt in "Fight Club," and met Keanu Reeves while working on the "Matrix" sequels. Over the years, Leitch and his crew have won many awards for their talents, including the first ever award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, for their work on "The Bourne Ultimatum."
Even now, with Leitch busy flexing his directorial abilities, he is as passionate about stunt work as when he first started — and it's a sentiment that he's expressed through his upcoming, highly-anticipated action-comedy-romance "The Fall Guy." While speaking to Empire about the film for the 2024 Preview Issue, Leitch expressed his frustration with the Academy for not still refusing to recognize stunt performers with their own awards category:
"I find it disheartening that for my entire career, it feels like the stunt community has been lobbying the Academy to recognize them as a department that's as important to a film as anyone else. It's really disheartening when everyone is celebrating on Oscar night ... Then you're all in the same meetings [with production designers and costume departments] because you're a department head too. It blows my mind that the perception is that [stunt coordinators] are not additive."
And he is absolutely right. There's a category for "Best Visual Effects" (which allows films that masterfully use CGI to rightfully shine), but the same recognition eludes hardworking stunt performers and coordinators, who craft moving setpieces that are the anchor for many movies. Not having the honor even being invited to the Oscars heightens the severity of this snub; being included in an event that celebrates cinema is the least that these hardworking professionals deserve.
When recognition is due
Leitch has relentlessly dedicated himself to honing his craft and putting it to good use over the years, having also founded an action design-production company named 87Eleven with fellow director and stunt performer Chad Stahelski (with whom he co-directed "John Wick"). "The Fall Guy" relies heavily on stunt work; Ryan Gosling plays veteran stuntman, who needs to become a real-life action hero when a famous action-movie star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) goes missing. Since the film tells the story of a stunt guy who draws on his craft to play action-hero, Leitch and his crew went all out on performing record-breaking stunts that did not rely on CGI.
Producer Kelly McCormick spoke to Empire about the "really special" nature of the set that facilitated such ambitious stunts, including "a 250-foot jump over a giant crevasse" and a cannon roll that flipped a car over and over (a feat that hasn't been replicated since 2006's "Casino Royale"). With little to no reliance on CGI, stunt performers on set were given the opportunity to perform the grandest stunts that added to the thrill of Colt both doing his job and trying to find the missing movie star. This is just a glimpse into the tremendous effort that goes into stunt work in films, which is why this essential field of expertise desperately needs an Oscar category at the earliest.
"I hope this shines a light on it. If I can make any difference in that journey to get [stunt teams] recognized by the Academy, that would be great," says Leitch.
"The Fall Guy" is scheduled to drop in theaters on May 3, 2024.