One Of The Fall Guy's Incredible Car Stunts Broke A Hollywood Record [SXSW 2024]
It's been several days now since this year's Oscars ceremony, and yet I'm still scratching my head as to why the Academy had Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt present a montage honoring stunts and stunt performers without mentioning why they had selected these two specific actors to do so. Then there's the bitter irony of the Academy celebrating stunt performers while stubbornly refusing to give them an Oscar of their own, but that's a whole other rabbit hole.
While it's true the pair starred in dual halves of Barbenheimer last year, they've also got a new film coming out in "The Fall Guy." Loosely adapted from Glen A. Larson's '80s action-adventure TV series of the same name, the movie casts Gosling as a stuntman who's rapidly aging out of his occupation from years of risking permanent bodily harm, only to find himself unraveling a mystery on the set of his latest project ... a film that, wouldn't you know it, is being directed by his ex-girlfriend (Blunt). Basically, unlike the Academy, "The Fall Guy" actually puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to honoring stunt performers, relying heavily on practical stunt work and even hailing from a real-life veteran of the field in Brad Pitt's stunt double turned uncredited "John Wick" co-director (and credited "Deadpool 2" helmer) David Leitch.
Speaking at the film's South by Southwest panel after its world premiere (which /Film attended), Leitch confirmed that he and his crew avoided CGI as much as possible during production:
"No, that was our goal. It was a love letter to stunts [...] Look, I love my visual effects friends and brethren, but this is a movie that really had to be true to the roots of stunts."
In doing so, Leitch and his crew even set a stunt record of their own.
Ryan Gosling leaves the car-flipping to the professionals
Leitch's track record behind the camera is, admittedly, a little wobbly (some schmucks would even have the gall to call his "Hobbs & Shaw" spinoff the worst "Fast & Furious" movie, if you can believe it), which is why it comes as a relief to hear so many people singing the praises of his latest film. And if their bit at the Oscars — which, its confusing lack of synergy aside, was pretty funny — left you wanting to see more of Gosling and Blunt busting each others' chops, then you'll be glad to hear "The Fall Guy" apparently delivers on that front. To quote /Film's Jacob Hall in his review, the duo's "sparkling chemistry is the explosive fuel that powers one of the best studio blockbusters in recent years, an engine carefully constructed to please the audience at each and every turn."
Spectacle-wise, you'll also want to keep your eyes peeled for the film's record-breaking cannon roll, a maneuver in which a car is flipped over without the use of a ramp (as was pioneered by the late stunt legend Hal Needham for the 1974 John Wayne flick "McQ"). It turns out that stunt driver Logan Holladay managed to pull off this daredevil car flip eight-and-a-half times without a CGI assist, breaking the previous record of seven set 18 years ago by stuntman Adam Kirley in "Casino Royale" in the scene where Daniel Craig's 007 sends his Aston Martin barrel-rolling to a halt to avoid running over a tied-up Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). Not that Gosling's trying to take any credit for it. "Anytime [my character] got hit by a car, set on fire, did anything cool or parkour-y, that was [Holladay]," he assured the SXSW crowd.
Check out the record-breaking stunt here
Holladay has been a stunt performer for years, with credits on films like "Shazam!" and "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw." Not only did he set the new record, but he also executed some seriously impressive vehicular stunts, including a 200-plus-foot ramp jump. Holladay is also a generational talent and spoke about his upbringing in a statement obtained by /Film regarding his new record:
"Growing up, my dad was a stuntman, so the influence of film sets and the world of stunts was always there. When I learned about 'The Fall Guy' going into production, I knew I had to be part of it. As for the cannon rolls, after two practice runs and one real take, we had one car and one shot left. And after I hit the eight-and-a-half rolls, I had a pretty good feeling that I had broken the record because it felt like the spinning was never going to stop. It was a surreal moment and I'm incredibly proud of what the team achieved."
Gosling, who also served as a producer on the film, and director David Leitch presented the Guinness World Records certificate to Holladay on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at a special screening of "The Fall Guy" in Los Angeles. The audience was treated to a behind-the-scenes video showcasing the record-breaking stunt, which you can watch above. It's an amazing feat that serves as an unquestionable reminder of the magic of the movies.
I dunno, it feels like those stunt folk should maybe get some kind of award for that from the actual film industry, don't you agree?
"The Fall Guy" hits theaters on May 3, 2024.