Ryan Gosling Happy He Did No Stunts for The Fall Guy

(SPOT.ph) Ryan Gosling is hurtling (quite literally) back to the big blockbuster screen after the success of Barbie. This time, he plays somebody whose presence we don't typically acknowledge in movies: the stunt man. The film is called The Fall Guy, an action comedy about a stunt performer who ends up biting way more than he can chew.

The Fall Guy follows Colt Seavers (Gosling) who, after an almost career-ending accident, is back on set—only to promptly get sent back out to look for the movie's real star. Complicating things are his attempts to win back the love of his life, who also happens to be the movie's director, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). If the trailer is anything to go by, we're in for a whole lot of intense action scenes, which begs the question: just how many stunts did Gosling do while playing a stunt performer?

Also read: I am Ken-ough + More Truths I Learned From the Barbie Movie

Ryan Gosling talks about (not) doing stunts for The Fall Guy

Fittingly, the movie is directed by someone who is also a stunt performer. David Leitch has been the stunt double for big names like Brad Pitt and Jean-Claude Van Damme in the past. "The fact that he’s a stunt performer who’s making a film about the stunt community just felt like the perfect fit," said Gosling. The Fall Guy is set in the world of an action movie, so we're excited to see how the closer look into the world of a stunt performer plays into the story. 

When it comes to actually doing the stunts, Gosling is admittedly "happy to become the first actor to say that I did none of my own stunts for this film." According to him, the movie is really about the stunt performers. "I was excited to highlight their work and let them do what they do best." Stunt performers are a massive part of the industry, but are rarely seen by the public so this movie "shines a spotlight back onto them and highlights all of the incredible things that they do and the risks they take to do it."

But don't worry, Gosling eventually admits it was vital for him to try out the stunts, too. "It was important that I do some of the stunts for authenticity, for me to understand what they deal with every day."

His chosen stunt? One that hit straight into his fear of heights: a 12-storey fall. Gosling's logic was that it might help him overcome his fear. Spoiler alert, he didn't, but he was able to do the stunt "in that moment because I trusted the team so much." Another stunt he got to do was to get dragged across the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The shoot was scheduled for 6 a.m. and he was able to conk out right after. "I was so tired during the stunt that when it was done, I went home, fell asleep and woke up wondering, 'Was that a very strange dream I just had? Or was it a nightmare?'".

The Fall Guy comes to Philippine cinemas on May 1.