The uplifting and exciting new action-comedy The Fall Guy isn't simply a showcase for Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt's talents. It's also a salute to those daredevil stunt performers whose unassailable bravery makes the big-screen experience what it is.
Director David Leitch hails from a stunt background – he doubled for the likes of Keanu Reeves and Brad Pitt before turning his hand to filmmaking. It's therefore little surprise that The Fall Guy takes great delight in exploring the intricate ballet between camera movement, pyrotechnics, barrel rolls and the brave individuals compelled to stand in for the A-list talent. (For this reason, we'd also encourage viewers to stay through the end credits.)
In fact, The Fall Guy employs several real-life stuntmen in front of the camera in uncredited acting roles. These talented individuals have contributed to many of cinema's most jaw-dropping set-pieces over the years, so in the manner of the film, we're here to celebrate their sense of bravado with our stunt-centric breakdown.
Scroll beneath the GIF to read the feature and book your tickets for The Fall Guy at the end of the post. (Don't forget to book tickets for The Fall Guy in IMAX, 4DX or ScreenX for your chance to win one of five limited-edition action figures styled after the film's characters.)
Justin Eaton
Emmy nominee and martial artist Justin Eaton has acted as a stunt double on any number of blockbusters including the Dwayne Johnson vehicles Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) and Black Adam (2022). In The Fall Guy, he not only doubles for Gosling and co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson but has a small acting role.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but Justin has a small part, playing a stunt double on set,” Leitch tells Entertainment Weekly (EW). “It’s life imitating art, so maybe he doesn’t have to stretch too far to play that character. It’s a fun, pivotal role. And I also have a whole troop of bad guys. It’s a lot of faces the stunt community will recognize and cheer for, even though they’re the bad guys.”
Here's a clip of him in action behind the scenes.
Logan Holladay
Veteran stunt driver Logan Holladay doubles for Gosling in the scenes where the latter's character Colt Seavers gets behind the wheel. This includes a manic chase through the streets of Sydney and an on-set barrel roll sequence. In fact, Holladay holds the Guinness World Record title for the most cannon rolls in a car, so one could say he's suited to the job.
“We wanted to do some big car jumps and some incredible cannon rolls, so we really let him bring his expertise and do his thing at the highest level,” says Leitch.
Holladay's long list of credits includes, appropriately enough, the Hugh Jackman X-Men movie Logan (2017) and Jordan Peele's extraterrestrial thriller Nope (2022). Here are some Instagram shots of him behind the scenes on The Fall Guy.
Ben Jenkin
Stunt double Ben Jenkin has worked on several huge Hollywood productions including Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Parkour expert Jenkin doubles for Gosling during many of the actor's riskier running and jumping sequences, of which there are many. And, says Leitch, Jenkin was up for all manner of physical punishment.
“He comes from a parkour free-running background, so there’s a great foot chase in the movie,” the director explains. “He’s also just a great physical double, so we hit him with a car, whatever. Everybody got to do a classic version of what they’re really good at, and hopefully, we amplified it to the next level.”
Here is an awesome little videi in which Jenkin, plus his fellow stunt performers Eaton and Holladay, join Gosling behind the wheel to show what they're really made of.
How many of these talented stuntmen will you be able to spot in the film? There's only one way to find out. Click the link below to book your tickets for The Fall Guy. It's released at Cineworld on May 2nd.
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