As Ryan Gosling took the microphone for a special screening of his latest film “The Fall Man,” the Oscar nominee was eager to salute the stunt community — specifically, to highlight the record-breaking feat his stunt double accomplished.
“There’s a gentleman who puts me in the car – that’s Logan Holladay – for a stunt he is about to do,” Gosling told viewers gathered at the Grove in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. “Then he makes eight and a half cannon launches, which is a world record. After that he pulls my He gets out of the car and pats me on the back for the stunt he just pulled off.
That’s what makes “The Fall Man” unique, Gosling explained. “In some other movie, you wouldn’t know that. But in this movie, you do. The lack of recognition (of) the contribution they make to cinema, to some of the best moments in this film and the best moments in films in general that we love so much, you know, that ends here!
The gang, largely made up of press and stuntmen, applauded. “Let’s watch this clip,” Gosling said, trying to find footage of Holladay performing the dangerous stunt.
There was just one downside — Gosling and the “Fall Man” filmmakers (director David Leitch, producer Kelly McCormick, producer Guymon Casady and stunt coordinator and second unit director Chris O’Hara) and their co-stars Emily Blunt, Winston Duke , Hannah Waddingham and Stephanie Hsu even had to do moderated questions and answers.
“You probably did pretty well with that complete factor,” Blunt laughed, mocking Gosling for the failure.
Over the course of a nearly 30-minute conversation, which was broadcast live to theaters in New York, Atlanta and Miami, “Run the clip” became a running joke as Gosling attempted to release the featurette two more times. And as soon as the clip started playing, it was immediately clear why the actor was so interested in “cannon rolling” alongside.
The gripping footage shows Holladay performing this feat, which involves becoming a cannon-like rig beneath a vehicle that fires toward the ground.
“As the vehicle reaches a delegated speed, the mechanism engages and propels the vehicle through a series of turns,” a press release explained. “Holladay performed the stunt behind the wheel of a modified Jeep Grand Cherokee equipped with a fiberglass outer body,” breaking the previous record held by stuntman Adam Kirley, who fired seven cannon shots during the filming of 2006’s “Casino Royale.”
The behind-the-scenes clip highlights the spirit behind “The Fall Man,” which pays homage to the film industry’s unsung heroes by prioritizing practical stunts and showing the tactics behind their magic. The Common Footage release is the latest effort from filmmaker and former stuntman Leitch, whose 87 North banner is behind high-concept action films like “Atomic Blonde” and “Bullet Practice.”
Inspired by the hit 1980s TV series of the same name, “The Fall Man” stars Gosling as stuntman Colt Seavers and Blunt as film director Jody Moreno, a camerawoman who is poised to get her big break. in a multimillion-dollar sci-fi blockbuster. called “Metalstorm” – if only they could work with their sophisticated romantic dynamic and explore the missing egotistical A-list star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
When the event’s host, Fandango’s Naz Perez, asked Gosling how playing a stuntman has changed the way he relates to the subject, the actor struggled slightly to explain how his appreciation for the career has grown.
“I was on a kids’ action show called ‘Young Hercules,’” he began, referring to the short-lived Fox prequel. “I’ve basically had a stunt double my whole life and there’s this kind of popular dynamic where they get On set, they do all the cool things, threaten everything and then disappear into the shadows and all of us. fake as if they were never there. Everyone else on set will get credit, but there’s some form of understanding that that doesn’t happen.”
Then Gosling, who also produced the film, announced his stunt doubles, many of whom were in the audience.
“It took eight stuntmen to do ‘Fall Man,’” he said. “There were times when I thought, ‘Should we make a movie or rob a bank?’ … Everyone had their particular talent. It was like the Avengers or something. In fact, a lot of them were probably Avengers if you take a look at their resumes.” He continued: “It was simply an honor to be a part of; I have benefited from their work and support since I started, to participate in telling their story and, in some way, try to reflect how important they are and how important what they do is.
With that, it was practically time to watch the film. But first, Gosling and Leitch introduced Holladay and presented him with a special plaque to commemorate the Guinness World Archive.
“If it wasn’t for Chris O’Hara and Dave Leitch for hiring me and asking me to do this, this would never have happened and I wouldn’t be here receiving this award. And for all your support of Ryan at the Oscars and the support of our entire community,” Holladay said, raising his certificates in the air as the audience applauded. “I like this workforce.”
The special screening built on the momentum the “Fall Man” team kicked off Sunday night at the Oscars, where nominees Gosling and Blunt took the stage to joke about their “Barbenheimer” rivalry and introduce a special film (produced by Leitch and McCormick’s 87 North) saluting the stunt community for its contributions to film. They then traveled to SXSW for the film’s world premiere, where it delighted the group with a delightful mix of action, comedy and romance, with Selection Leading film critic Peter Debruge hailed Gosling’s hero as “one of his most interesting characters yet.”
“The Fall Man” hits theaters on May 3.
David Leitch, Kelly McCormick, Guymon Casady, Chris O’Hara, Fandango’s Naz Perez, Stephanie Hsu, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, Emily Blunt, Ryan Gosling and Logan Holladay attend a special screening of “The Fall Man” at AMC Grove in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 13.
Alex J. Berliner/ABImages