Posted in: Movies, Universal | Tagged: David Leitch, ryan gosling, The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy director David Leitch explains that there is a joke in the film that only stunt performers are going to get.
Article Summary
- David Leitch, ex-stunt performer turned director, sneaks a joke into The Fall Guy for stunts crew.
- The joke revolves around a niche reference to meal penalties, a hot topic for SAG stunt professionals.
- Ryan Gosling discusses the authenticity of performing stunts and the respect it fosters for the craft.
- With strong box office predictions, the movie aims to elevate public appreciation for stunt work.
We all know that The Fall Guy is a love letter to all things stunts and stunt performers. That isn’t just in the story but also behind the camera, with director David Leitch starting as a stunt performer and eventually moving on to directing. People have been trying to figure out ways to honor stunt performers in movies more, and this film wants to spotlight those performers. However, Leitch explained to Entertainment Weekly that this film was also written very much for stunt performers. He explained that there is a joke in the movie that is absolutely geared toward the stunt performers and the stunt performers alone, but he knew he needed to keep it there. The joke is, “Colt is telling an assistant director that nobody broke him for breakfast, and that’ll be a meal penalty.”
“Stunt guys, they are obsessed with their meal penalties,” Leitch says with a laugh. “They love their SAG rules. I screened [the film] for a bunch of stunt people a couple weeks ago. That joke never gets a laugh, but I kept it in as a litmus test for my community. I mean, you would have thought it was the best joke in the world. They were all like, ‘Yeah! Meal penalties!”
It’s awesome that Leitch left that joke in there because I certainly didn’t get it, but deep-cut jokes are the best, even more so when they are done completely out of love. The Fall Guy is all about the love and respect for stunt people, as Gosling noted. “
“I was trying to understand the experience of it,” Gosling explains, “and he said, ‘Well, it all hurts. It always hurts. Getting hit by a car hurts. Getting set on fire hurts. And getting thrown out of a window really hurts.’ I thought, well, we have to put that in the movie verbatim. … It’s interesting to hear David say it like that and hear them say, ‘There’s no trick to getting hit by a car. You’re just getting hit by a car.'” “It’s interesting to hear the truth come out about it, and it only deepens your respect for what they do.”
The early box office numbers for The Fall Guy are looking pretty good for this weekend, so maybe this summer is off to a solid start. This film isn’t changing anyone’s life in terms of quality, but perhaps it will make people respect another overlooked aspect of filmmaking. So many essential pieces go unnoticed in our favorite movies, so if this one makes everyday people appreciate stunt performers and the work they put into their favorite movies? I think that’s a win for everyone.
The Fall Guy: Summary, Cast List, Release Date
Oscar® nominee Ryan Gosling (The Gray Man, La La Land) and Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place films, Edge of Tomorrow) star in this feature film inspired by the hit 1980s TV series. The Fall Guy is directed by David Leitch, the blockbuster director of Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde, and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and the producer of John Wick and Nobody, from a screenplay by Hobbs & Shaw screenwriter Drew Pearce (Hotel Artemis, Iron Man 3).
The film also stars Golden Globe winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train, Tenet), Winston Duke (Black Panther franchise, Us), Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso, Sex Education), and Academy Award® nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). The Fall Guy is produced by Kelly McCormick (Bullet Train, Nobody, Atomic Blonde) and David Leitch for their company 87North, by Ryan Gosling, and by Guymon Casady (Game of Thrones, Steve Jobs) for Entertainment 360. The film is executive produced by Drew Pearce, Geoff Shaevitz, and the creator of the original Fall Guy television series, Glen A. Larson. It was released on May 3rd, 2024.
The Fall Guy director David Leitch explains that there is a joke in the film that only stunt performers will get.
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