Opinion | Bruised, battered and unsung

Without the stunt department, Hollywood would not be the same. The car chases would be lame, the fights would be boring and there would probably be no explosions. So it’s about time we give them some time in the spotlight. Photo courtesy of JACK SUNDBLAD, Staff Photographer

“I did my job” is the response stunt performers give when asked how they feel about other people thinking that it’s the actors performing their stunts and not them. 

The stunt departments in Hollywood are an unsung hero of the industry, and that is by design. The whole point of stunt doubles is to have the audience not notice that it’s a different person jumping off a building while keeping the actors safe. 

Stunt performers are meant to go unnoticed and are kept hidden away from the limelight to help the audience's suspension of disbelief remain intact. 

But David Leitch’s recent movie “The Fall Guy” changes that completely. 

The movie in and of itself is a love letter to the entire stunt department. It centers on a stunt performer as the hero of the movie and even has a scene where the entire stunt team beats up the bad guys. The stunt performers were, for once, put in the spotlight, with some of the film's stunt doubles performing stunts at the Hollywood premiere. 

Emilia Cuevas Diaz, Opinions Editor

Even better, when the movie ends, you are treated to an incredible behind-the-scenes glimpse of every single stunt in the movie. You get to see the stunt team doing what they’re good at in an incredible fashion. 

The truth is, there’s so much art that goes into stunts. It’s not just haphazardly jumping out of buildings and being set on fire for kicks. It’s an art form.

Stunts require so much work to get done, not to mention so many safety considerations and incredible trust from the stunt performers to put their safety on the line to get the Comic-Con shot. Adding to that, the stunt team also needs to take into consideration the same artistic decisions that every other department on a film set does. 

Would this character jump out immediately, or would they hesitate? Would their gut reaction be to kick or slap? What does their fighting style say about their background?

Take “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” for instance. The first fight between Will Turner and Jack Sparrow tells us so much about who they are as characters with barely any words being exchanged. From the fight, we know that Will is a stand-up guy who neatly colors inside the lines and follows the rules; he believes in an honor system. Jack, on the other hand, likes having fun and playing around; he’s a great fighter and a cheater. But despite being a pirate, he is not a bad guy. 

Additionally to learning all of that from their fighting styles, the scene also has a very clearly defined arc, and both characters are going after very specific goals, and above all, it’s very entertaining to watch. This fight scene is an incredible piece of art. 

And yet, the stunt department is one that doesn’t get a lot of recognition. Earlier this year, I got the opportunity to go to a panel with the stunt team for the “Ahsoka” TV show. The panel consisted of the choreographer and four other stunt doubles, where they talked about everything that went into creating the amazing fight scenes you see on TV, from the training to the choreographing to the actual shooting of the scene. It was incredible. It was also relatively empty.

Yet another place where the stunt department goes unacknowledged is at the Academy Awards, where there’s markedly no category for stunts, in spite of years of attempts to get a category created for it. 

But the release of “The Fall Guy” brings with it a new energy to the push to recognize stunts in the Oscars. And the creators are not being shy about their opinions on the matter. The movie itself is campaigning for recognition of the stunt teams of Hollywood for their hard work and dedication to their art. 

So until the stunt department gets the recognition it deserves, thank you for your falls, your bruises and your car crashes. And hopefully, it won’t be long until our unsung heroes get the recognition they deserve.