The Fall Guy stars: 'I'd love to see stunts get an Oscar'

Ever felt your contribution at work goes unnoticed? Try being a stunt actor.

They’re some of the unsung heroes of the film industry, regularly risking their bodies and even their lives to thrill audiences.

And when it all goes according to plan, you’re not supposed to notice them.

“The better they are at their job, the more they disappear,” Ryan Gosling told the BBC earlier this week.

The Canadian actor plays title character Colt Seavers in new blockbuster The Fall Guy – the story of a stuntman who gets seriously hurt on a film set.

With some exceptions such as Tom Cruise, who famously insists on doing almost all his own stunts, doubles usually take the place of A-list stars in the most nail-biting scenes.

And The Fall Guy was no exception.

So both Ryan and and co-star Emily Blunt said they’d back calls for stunt performers to have their own category at the Oscars.

“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,” said Ryan.

Currently there’s no Academy Award dedicated to stunts but other bodies such as The Screen Actors Guild do celebrate them.

Up-and-coming stunt actors have been telling BBC Newsbeat it’s about time they got more recognition for their work on set, and the effort it takes to even get there.

To become a professional it helps to be signed on the British Stunt Register, which told Newsbeat there are 470 registered stunt performers working in the UK.

Getting on to the books means mastering six disciplines, and for Catriona Scott those are scuba diving, horse riding, trampolining, taekwondo, rock climbing and stunt driving.

That doesn’t happen overnight, and the 30-year-old from Edinburgh has been training for seven years.

“I studied at Glasgow University and I did a year abroad in America,” she tells Newsbeat, after arriving on a motorcycle in true stuntwoman style.

“While I was there, I did a three-month internship in LA and I met two stunt performers. It was like, ‘Oh, that’s a job?!’

“As soon as I realised that was something that you could actually do as a job, it was like, ‘that’s what I want to do’.”

She was inspired by films including Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter growing up, and her dream once she qualifies is to perform in a major film franchise.

Two stunt actors who know a thing or two about putting themselves in harm’s way are Jules Wallace, from Glasgow, and Ayesha Hussein, from London.

Jules got into stunts after training in martial arts and has performed in fight scenes for productions including Enola Holmes and The Last Duel.

Ayesha, meanwhile, got scouted while working as a knife thrower and will soon appear in Deadpool 3.

Like Catriona, they’re both training for the BSR to take their careers to the next level.

“Stunt performers put in a lot of time and effort to get to where they are,” says Jules. “And they literally risk their lives on the job.”

“It really is one of those jobs that you go to work and you could have the most safe, incredible team, but you still don’t have 100% guarantee that you’re not going to go home severely injured, or worse,” adds Alyshea.

That was what happened to David Holmes – Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the Harry Potter series.

Alyshea says it’s important for the industry to give greater visibility to stunt performers so audiences appreciate the work that goes into great stunts as well as inspire the next generation of talent.

“We deserve a bit more now,” she says.

“There are so many gifted young people who would be an absolutely tremendous stunt performers but they just have no idea that it exists as a career.”

Jules says it’s “good that people are taking the time to give them a little bit of recognition” because there’s not much out there.

“It would be wonderful to see stunts getting an Oscar,” says Catriona.

“We are the reason why so many movies are so incredible,” adds Alyshea.

“And literally every other department seems to have an Oscar category except us and we’re the ones arguably taking the highest risk.”

Newsbeat has asked the Oscars whether they might consider an award for stuntmen and women but has not had a response.

Joining the BSR will give you access to film and TV productions looking for stunt performers, but it’s not easy to get on the list.

The six disciplines you need to master must cover different skills including strength, vehicles, fighting and falling.

Once an expert has tested you in these areas, a panel from the BSR will examine your training history before signing you off.

Even then, you’ll only be a probationary member and will continue to be graded until you reach the level of a stunt co-ordinator.

The BSR told Newsbeat it was “fantastic” to see The Fall Guy “shine such light on the stunt community and the exceptional work they do”.

Nicholas Daines, a BSR coordinator whose stunt credits include Batman, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter, says as well as recognition at awards, it’s also important that stunt performers are better compensated for the work they do.

“Shining a spotlight is all very well, but it’s such a physical profession, you might not be able to do it for forever, and some people don’t even make it home, or they have career-ending injuries.

“So our financial situation and wages should should be in alignment with that.”

He also hopes a greater awareness of stunt work will encourage more people to consider it as a career.

“It’s great that all this is highlighted to make youngsters realise that you can make a living from being physical and not necessarily have to go down the academic route,” he says.

“The recognition from these actors in this film on such a creative profession is wonderful.

“You’re sending the right message to youngsters that this is something that they could do.”

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.