Ryan Gosling launching campaign to establish new category at Oscars for stunt performers

Ryan Gosling is launching a campaign to establish a new category at the Oscars to recognise the work of stunt performers.

The 43-year-old actor plays a stunt man in his new movie The Fall Guy which shines a spotlight on the work of the movie set action heroes, and Ryan insists he wants bosses at the Academy Awards to bring in a new prize to honour their achievements.

Speaking to Deadline.com at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday night (April 30), Ryan explained: “They are the hardest working people in show business. This movie is just a giant campaign to get stunts an Oscar.

“We are the face of these films, but the crews really make the movies, and this is a love letter to them.”

Ryan previously opened up about his respect for stunt performers, telling the BBC: “They dress like us, they do the dangerous things for us. They take the hits for us, they put themselves in harm’s way for us.

“They play our characters as well, they’re actors too, in the same union. But they hide their face and disappear into the shadows and everyone pretends they weren’t there. The better they are at their job, the more they disappear in a way. It ends now. We’re flipping the script…

“They risk more than anyone. Their work is an art form, it’s designed just as much as make-up and costumes or anything else.”

The actor stars opposite Emily Blunt in the film, and she agreed with him, adding: “[Stunt performers] have trained for this, they have courage beyond words and I think because there is an innate humility with stunt performers, they don’t feel the need to broadcast what they do. But I think it’s time that we do.”