In an era where films are defined by explosions, sequels, and ‘multiverses’, how does one possibly stand out with a film dedicated to the life of a stuntman? You know, the person who makes the A-listers look believable as a cliff jumping, barrel rolling, person-on-fire, often only receiving credit as ‘(insert famous person’s name)’s stunt man’.
Enter David Leitch. Professional stuntman aka bonafide badass turned film director, whose directorial resume boasts, Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, and now his latest, The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling (and Emily Blunt) as, yes, a stuntman. Leitch got his start as Brad Pitt’s stunt double over two decades ago, but unlike other extras on set, when Leitch’s scenes were done, he was still allowed to stay behind and watch how the films were made. Getting to experience the filmmaking magic up close, while also understanding how imperative his own role was in the process yielded the only possible outcome for someone with ambitions like Leitch: the stuntman would simply have to become a director.
Calling in from Berlin over Zoom, David Leitch and his wife and producer, Kelly McCormick, gave Esquire Middle East the rundown of their latest Guinness world record-breaking film, the importance of safety on set, and what to do when an enthusiastic, albeit naive, actor insists on doing on their own stunts.
Esquire: Going from stuntman to director almost feels like an easier transition than from actor to director, because as a stuntman, you are regularly being lit on fire, whereas a director’s job is continuously walking through a metaphorical fire.
David Leitch: (laughs) Wow. But it was a slow, twenty plus year progression. Being a stunt coordinator on set, performing in front of the camera as a stuntman, really helps me direct with such a wealth of knowledge not just for myself, but what I’m asking my actors and performers to do for me on set. And such a background is quite unique to me, not many directors have that experience. But still, being a stuntman is far more daunting because your life is literally at stake. Directing may feel that way, but you’re not actually going to die.
Kelly McCormick: A lot of people say he’s so chill on set, and it’s true. He’s the most nimble director I’ve ever worked with.
Esquire: How do big stunts/action sequences get sketched for a film? I imagine you may write something in the script, but naturally, explosions, fire, barrel rolls, etc., require much more choreography, and planning, than just words on a page.
DL: So that kind of goes into what we’re actually trying to get recognized by the academy. The stunt department is essentially wholly responsible for designing the action in the film. As you said, you can get a script where there’s a description of a scene, but just like if someone describes a costume on the page, still, that comes down to the costume designer who has to then physically make it. So for me as a filmmaker, that’s been part of my DNA since day one. And although it may be written in the script, when it comes to action, that’s all down to the stunt department.
KM: Although in this script he did include “record breaking cannon roll” and I think they interpreted it literally, because we did, in fact, break the Guinness world record for most cannon rolls.
Esquire: I am aware! Congratulations. What was it like watching it unfold in front of you as the cameras were rolling? Were you nervous at all about the stuntman in the car?
KM: They’re called world records because they don’t happen very often and are very hard to achieve (laughs). And in our case, we had planned and rehearsed it over and over, but what we didn’t know at the time, was that the sand made such a massive impact on what needed to happen with the physics of the car. The tide was rising constantly. So many variables that we didn’t initially take into consideration, but that we very quickly were forced to deal with on the day of shooting. So the first roll was an epic, four and a half roll. But the stunt team came up to us after and said ‘We have an extra car, can we give it another shot tomorrow?’ And the next time is when we got the 8 and a half rolls and broke the record.
Esquire: What was going through your head as you watched it unfold in front of you? Were you able to count in real time or was it going too fast?
KM: It felt like he had rolled maybe eight thousand times. It never seemed to finish. We were trying to count, but it was going so fast.
Esquire: David, what type of stuntman are you as a director, and what type of stuntman were you as a full time stuntman? Are you mister ‘screw it, let’s do it,’ or are you more careful?
DL: As long as you have the right prep, and you do the math correctly, you can appear like you’re being a pure daredevil but nobody ever is. Like Tom Cruise, who’s just the best, but his whole team spends so much time on every single stunt, so although they’re wild, there is so much diligence that goes into every stunt.
KM: There’s one stunt that Ryan (Gosling) does early in the film, and he’s about 190 feet up in the air on this rig. He had rehearsed, and David was up there with him, and not to spoil anything, but after it went well, I was just in tears because I was so scared and relieved.
Esquire: Have you had conversations with enthusiastic actors in the past who, like Tom Cruise, may want to insist on doing their own stunts, but as an expert, you just know it’s too dangerous, so you have to say no?
DL: Of course. As a stunt coordinator, and now as a director, you have to make the decision over whether something is too dangerous, or not. It could also be that the actor doesn’t know how to move their body in a way where it’ll look good on camera. In The Fall Guy, there’s a 220-foot car jump. And as you can imagine, there are not a lot of actors I’m going to put in that car. If I have someone fall out of a helicopter from 150 feet, the actor may think they can do it, but you’re not going to put them in that position. I need a professional.
Esquire: Final question for both of you: what’s your favorite movie about a stuntman?
DL: The Fall Guy is quickly becoming it, but before that, Hooper, with Burt Reynolds.
KM: Hooper was the Citizen Kane for stunt films.
The Fall Guy releases in theaters today, May 2, 2024, and already has an impressive 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.
