Nearly every movie has stunt artists. You’ve seen them—or maybe you haven’t. In fact that’s part of a stunt artist’s job: to hide in plain sight.
Their invisibility extends far beyond the silver screen; there’s no prestigious accolade or award category for their contributions. Stunt artists just put in the dirty work and go home.
But that’s exactly what Winston Duke—and the entire cast and crew behind The Fall Guy—is trying to change.
“The recognition clearly has not been given,” says the actor, who you’ve previously seen in the Black Panther movies and Us. “They sacrifice health, their wellness, their safety and security to make this happen.”
David Leitch’s The Fall Guy, in addition to being a reboot of a beloved ’80s TV show, is a response to this lack of recognition. In fact, at the L.A. premiere, Ryan Gosling (who stars as Colt Seavers) openly acknowledged that “this movie is just a giant campaign to get stunts an Oscar.”
We caught up with Duke to talk about his experience working alongside Ryan Gosling at the peak of his career, witnessing Guinness World Record history, the importance of recognizing the stunt artist community, and much more.
(This interview has been edited in length for clarity.)
What inspired you to join this project?
Winston Duke: What drew me to the movie was being able to work with these professionals that were just at the top of their careers.
Ryan Gosling has been a personal hero of mine for many years. I've loved all the different seasons his career has gone through. I was actually studying acting when Drive [2011] came out, and I remember all of us were like, “Ryan Gosling's being shaped into this stud,” playing the stoic driver and a character that embodied a lot of effortless masculinity. I was like, “That's really cool.”
So I've been watching his career for a really long time and getting the opportunity to work with him was this huge pinch-me moment for me.
"Getting the opportunity to work with him was this huge pinch-me moment for me."
What was your experience like working closely with Ryan Gosling on set?
WD: Immediately we just connected, and it felt very easy really quickly. Our scenes are mostly improv day to day, and you need a lot of trust and chemistry for that. So immediately we felt like we could just throw things at each other and not have a lot of judgment knowing that we were two artists just creating and playing.
The first day we met, we're reading our scene and I just broke character and was like, “Oh man, you have really beautiful eyes, you know that, right?”
And we're like, “Get out of here, man.” “You're crazy.” “No, you're crazy.” I think immediately he saw that he had a playmate, and that was my goal, to let this guy know that he can trust me, that I'm on his team and I'm here to play.
How much stunt work did you do yourself?
WD: I did a lot of my own stunts, but I had a really great stunt man working with me. I'm just a really big dude, so it's hard to find stunt men that are my size and shape. So I supplement a lot of the stunts myself.
My stunt man did a lot of the work prepping things and making sure that it was safe for me to do. For anything major, he would come in and he had to wear a 40-pound muscle suit because he’s lighter than me.
Director David Leitch has an extensive history in stunt production. What advice did he bring to the table?
WD: I think what was most important is the space that he was able to create because he understands the stunts, that nothing was ever fixed, nothing was ever rigid when it came to the concept of the idea.
And I think that came from his history with stunts and understanding that the actors are equal participants and creatives inside the moment, not just some placement to put into a pre-existing framework.
Were you all trying to break the cannon roll record?
WD: Yes, we were trying to break the record for what's known as a cannon roll and car flips. And we did. We broke the world record. So now we hold the world record for cannon rolls in films.
This movie is very much a campaign for the “unsung heroes” in Hollywood. If you had to send a message to The Academy in support of their recognition, what would it be?
WD: I would say they need to be seen as stunt artists. And once you start calling them stunt artists, the recognition is a no-brainer. And the recognition clearly has not been given. I think words matter and how we approach looking at these generative artists is the first step.
Their artistry is defined by a lot of sacrifice. They sacrifice health, their wellness, their safety and security to make this happen. It's the same kind of sacrifice of time that the costumes department is putting in, because these people are away from their families the same way they're putting in the same sleepless nights. They're on set for those 12-to-15, 16-hour days, showing up early to prep everything like every other department.
They're doing the same thing. But unlike all the other departments, if a mistake happens, if a piece of costume doesn't look right on screen, no one is risking their life and limb. And that needs to be recognized.
"They're doing the same thing [...] And that needs to be recognized."
