The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just released some pretty great news! Beginning with the 2028 Academy Awards, they will be adding a new category for Best Stunt Design. Film industry powerhouse filmmaker David Leitch and actor Ryan Gosling spearheaded an enormous grassroots campaign supporting this change. Gosling as stuntman Colt Seavers in the forthcoming The Fall Guy movie.
Last year’s gimmicky autumn publicity tour promoting The Fall Guy—exactly as critics prefer—was Gosling’s show, and the whole production played to his thunderous applause. He perfectly called attention to the under-appreciated craft of stunt performers. He never tired of telling how pivotal they were to the craft of filmmaking and championing their work through interviews and appearances. At the film’s Hollywood premiere this week, Gosling surprised the delighted audience with a little something special. He recruited two stunt performers to help him pull off an amazing stunt, dragging them through the red carpet backdrop and across a burning fire.
Even beyond his promotional efforts, Gosling brought his advocacy directly to the Oscars stage. He introduced a segment at the 2024 awards ceremony dedicated to honoring stunt teams, further underscoring their role in the industry. Gosling appeared in a Carpool Karaoke segment featuring some of The Fall Guy’s stunt performers, showcasing their skills and talents in a lighthearted format.
From this group, David Leitch became one of the most high-profile champions for stunt work to be recognized at the Oscars. His lobbying efforts, combined with Gosling’s passionate promotion of The Fall Guy, have contributed significantly to this milestone decision by the Academy.
His wife Eva Mendes took to social media after the announcement to laud his work. She celebrated the Academy’s decision to recognize stunt performers with a heartfelt Instagram post, noting that Gosling’s entire press tour for The Fall Guy served as a campaign to advocate for this change. We had a lot of fun putting them all together. Mendes went on to praise Chris O’Hara for his dedication and hard work as the film’s stunt designer. O’Hara dedicated six years to realize the film.
