tagMeghan Markle's Gift for Controversial CelebrityMeghan's American Riviera Orchard jam was showcased on Instagram by a celebrity accused of spreading online hate. sharesave
NYC’s last superhero: On patrol with real-life crimefighter — the Brooklyn DevilTaking a cue from Spider-Man, the Brooklyn Devil doesn't share his real name.
Scottie Scheffler’s caddie missing PGA Championship third round, chaplain on bag in latest wrinkleAfter a Friday morning that saw him being arrested and released prior to his tee time, Scheffler will now be without Ted Scott, who has been his caddie since 2021.
NYC shoplifting soars with over 21K complaints lodged so far this year — causing CVS, Walgreens to close up shopsNew York City is turning into a drugstore desert as retail theft surged 5.6% so far this year.
Prediction and profanity: In Minnesota, Trump says he will win the traditionally Democratic stateOn a day off from his hush money criminal trial, Trump falsely claimed he won the traditionally Democratic state of Minnesota four years ago and would again.
U.S. intelligence suggests American who vanished in Syria in 2017 has died, daughter says she was toldU.S. officials have developed highly credible intelligence suggesting an American citizen who disappeared years ago while traveling in Syria has died.
Friday’s high school baseball and softball scores, updated playoff pairingsHere are Thursday's high school baseball and softball scores across the Southland, and the updated playoff schedule.
Paul Bissonnette questions if ref was betting after controversial Stars-Avalanche callPaul Bissonnette stoked the flames in what was already a controversy.
John Stamos Shares ‘Full House’ Reunion With Olsen Twins in Tribute to Bob SagetBob D'Amico/Getty ImagesJohn Stamos remembered his late co-star Bob Saget on what would’ve been the actor’s 68th birthday on Friday, posting a Full House reunion picture that included a rare appearance by the Olsen twins.The actor shared a black-and-white group photo of himself and several of his co-stars from the classic sitcom—including the famously private Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who shared the part of Michelle Tanner as young children. They were joined by four other Full House OGs: Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron Bure, Dave Coulier, and Scott Weinger, gathered around a statue of Dumbo in Saget’s home.“Happy Birthday Bob,” Stamos wrote in the caption. “This was taken as we gathered for his funeral. Though Bob wasn’t there physically, his spirit was unmistakably present, wrapping us in warmth and shared memories that drew both laughter and tears.”Read more at The Daily Beast.
John Stamos Shares ‘Full House’ Reunion With Olsen Twins in Tribute to Bob SagetBob D'Amico/Getty ImagesJohn Stamos remembered his late co-star Bob Saget on what would’ve been the actor’s 68th birthday on Friday, posting a Full House reunion picture that included a rare appearance by the Olsen twins.The actor shared a black-and-white group photo of himself and several of his co-stars from the classic sitcom—including the famously private Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who shared the part of Michelle Tanner as young children. They were joined by four other Full House OGs: Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron Bure, Dave Coulier, and Scott Weinger, gathered around a statue of Dumbo in Saget’s home.“Happy Birthday Bob,” Stamos wrote in the caption. “This was taken as we gathered for his funeral. Though Bob wasn’t there physically, his spirit was unmistakably present, wrapping us in warmth and shared memories that drew both laughter and tears.”Read more at The Daily Beast.
Ukraine's divisive mobilization law comes into force as new Russian push strains front-line troopsUkraine's divisive troop mobilization law takes effect amid Russia's new offensive straining Kyiv's military and pummeling the second city of Kharkiv.
Commencement Speaker Gives Each Grad $1K—But There’s a CatchDarren McCollesterCollege graduates at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth were left stunned at their commencement ceremony this week, captured in footage with their mouths ajar as a billionaire announced he was gifting each of them $1,000.Even better, the graduates would be getting the money on the spot, with the tech CEO Robert Hale Jr. handing them a pair of envelopes—each stuffed with $500 cash—as they walked across stage, he explained. “Each of you is getting $1,000 cash right now,” he said, to the crowd’s bemusement.Read more at The Daily Beast.
Commencement Speaker Gives Each Grad $1K—But There’s a CatchDarren McCollesterCollege graduates at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth were left stunned at their commencement ceremony this week, captured in footage with their mouths ajar as a billionaire announced he was gifting each of them $1,000.Even better, the graduates would be getting the money on the spot, with the tech CEO Robert Hale Jr. handing them a pair of envelopes—each stuffed with $500 cash—as they walked across stage, he explained. “Each of you is getting $1,000 cash right now,” he said, to the crowd’s bemusement.Read more at The Daily Beast.
Virginia teacher busted for drugs in 2nd grade classroom, husband arrested in parking lotA second-grade teacher at a Virginia school was arrested Thursday after she was found to be under the influence and suspected narcotics were allegedly found in her classroom.
6 essential collections to celebrate short story monthCelebrate Short Story Month with books by authors Alice Munro, Alejandro Zambra, Juliet Escoria and more in this edition of the Book Club newsletter.
Behind the scenes, the search for the next L.A. City Council president is under wayL.A. City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson said he's been talking to his colleagues about "what they want in a president." Some already support him
‘Throw him in jail’: Dave Portnoy, celebs slam ‘monster’ Diddy over horrific Cassie Ventura beating videoVideo of Diddy assaulting Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 was released on Friday, sparking global outrage.
Jodorowsky's wild art, Hockney's 'Turandot' and the best L.A. culture to see nowLos Angeles Opera rolls out David Hockney's "Turandot," the Hollywood Bowl presents "The Lion King" with live music, and the week's best art, music, theater and more.
Preakness Stakes 2024: Picks and predictions from the expertsExperts from The Post and Action Network handicap Saturday’s 149th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
After Oct. 7, White Nationalism’s Most Famous Young Escapee Got Some Pretty Upsetting TextsThe people from R. Derek Black’s past are pretty excited about the way politics are going in 2024.
The Political Dysfunction Facing CongressEditor’s Note: Washington Week With The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here. Ahead of next week’s closing arguments for Donald Trump’s hush-money trial, the former president’s allies took turns appearing outside the Manhattan courthouse. Speaker Mike Johnson, Senator J. D. Vance, and Representative Matt Gaetz were among those who made appearances. This public-facing show of support from Republicans comes as speculation over Trump’s choice for vice president continues to unfold.Meanwhile, in Congress, an exchange among Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jasmine Crockett, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez left a House committee in chaos. The spat, which began during a meeting held to consider a motion to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to release audio from President Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, more broadly represents how political behavior could be mediated going forward. “We have a ways to go in our national devolution,” Susan Glasser said last night. “Institutions are unraveling, not just the institution of the U.S. Congress.”Joining the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to discuss this and more: Laura Barrón-López, a White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour; Eugene Daniels, a White House correspondent for Politico; Susan Glasser, a staff writer at The New Yorker; and Steve Inskeep, the host of NPR’s Morning Edition.
The Political Dysfunction Facing CongressEditor’s Note: Washington Week With The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here. Ahead of next week’s closing arguments for Donald Trump’s hush-money trial, the former president’s allies took turns appearing outside the Manhattan courthouse. Speaker Mike Johnson, Senator J. D. Vance, and Representative Matt Gaetz were among those who made appearances. This public-facing show of support from Republicans comes as speculation over Trump’s choice for vice president continues to unfold.Meanwhile, in Congress, an exchange among Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jasmine Crockett, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez left a House committee in chaos. The spat, which began during a meeting held to consider a motion to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to release audio from President Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, more broadly represents how political behavior could be mediated going forward. “We have a ways to go in our national devolution,” Susan Glasser said last night. “Institutions are unraveling, not just the institution of the U.S. Congress.”Joining the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to discuss this and more: Laura Barrón-López, a White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour; Eugene Daniels, a White House correspondent for Politico; Susan Glasser, a staff writer at The New Yorker; and Steve Inskeep, the host of NPR’s Morning Edition.
Iran prepares to execute Jewish man in case that sends dread through tiny Jewish communityAuthorities plan to carry out the execution as soon as Monday, multiple sources tell The Post.
Paul Scheer shares stories from new memoir "Joyful Recollections of Trauma"Comedian Paul Scheer shares stories from a new memoir "Joyful Recollections of Trauma."
Pete Alonso, Juan Soto’s paths to long-term New York futures may only get more complicatedPete Alonso is going to fight an industry turn away from the $200 million-plus mega-contracts for first baseman. It is a rejection of the limited athlete, corner position in their 30s (Alonso turns 30 in December).
Flash floods from unusually heavy seasonal rains kill at least 68 people in AfghanistanTaliban officials say flash floods from heavy seasonal rains have killed at least 68 people in Afghanistan.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle welcomed to Nigeria by fugitive wanted in US for $20M money laundering scamDr. Allen Onyema, 59, was among a small group of officials who greeted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they touched down in Lagos, Nigeria last Sunday.
Shohei Ohtani's former Angels teammate accused of making illegal sports bets: reportDavid Fletcher, who played with Shohei Ohtani with the Los Angeles Angels, reportedly made illegal sports bets through the same bookmaker as the star's former interpreter.
Community honors former President Grover ClevelandThere is one community in America where former President Grover Cleveland is more than just a name in a history book.
Fashion designer styled Tyson Fury before boxing match hopes clothes gives champion an edgeFashion designer who styled heavyweight champion Tyson Fury before his boxing match in Saudi Arabia against Oleksandr Usyk hopes clothes will give him an edge.
ICE declines to reveal names of Jordanians nabbed for Marine base breach; former officials weigh inICE says it is not revealing more details about the two Jordanians arrested at a Marine base in Virginia this week, which officials say raises questions.
Suspected Would-Be Assassin Detained as Slovak Prime Minister’s Condition Is StableThe man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was ordered to remain behind bars Saturday.
Meet the fashion designer who dresses the world's biggest boxersFrom his fashion studio on the Welsh coast, Imtayaz Qassim creates some of the most distinctive outfits worn by the world's most famous boxers
Why LA County DA is not prosecuting Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs despite ‘extremely disturbing’ Cassie Ventura abuse video"We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch," the prosecutor's office admitted in a statement released via social media Friday.
The secret ingredient in these meaty tacos makes Whittier your next taqueria destinationCritic Bill Addison heads to Whittier for the Sinaloa-style joys at Tacos La Carreta, plus a look at our project on the state of L.A. restaurants.
Biden’s plan to admit Gazans to US could backfire: 'Brainwashed by Hamas,' expert warnsAmid the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza because of Hamas’ war against Israel, President Biden weighs allowing a new wave of immigration. Local Gazans gave their take.
Want a reservation at a hot NYC restaurant? Some are going for $500.Online restaurant reservations services have exploded, offering hard-to-get reservations for a price. Two New York state lawmakers want to ban them.
Preakness Stakes predictions, odds: Betting tips, picks for Saturday’s race at PimlicoIt may sound obvious, but it is very important for handicappers to note that the Preakness Stakes is a very different race from the Kentucky Derby.
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The 8 Show’ On Netflix, A Dark Comedy Where People Join A Strange Game Show Where Time Is Literally MoneyIt's like Squid Game, only no one gets killed (we think).
Gold bar Bob Menendez’s wife isn’t ‘mastermind’ of graft scheme — she’s ill, isolated ‘submissive housewife’: friendsFriends are disgusted after his corruption trial defense threw her under the bus. One said they fear for her survival as she battles breast cancer.
When I Tell People What I’m Doing to Make Ends Meet as an Grad Student, Their Reactions Are Something ElsePeople can react weirdly—like I should be ashamed of it.
Joe Buck wouldn’t ‘be floored’ by Tom Brady returning to play in NFL againJoe Buck isn't betting against anything when it comes to Tom Brady.
How Hollywood Fell Short for the Fall GuysOn-screen, during an early scene in The Fall Guy, the stunt driver Logan Holladay pulls off a move that looks utterly chaotic. He steers an SUV that soars across a beach, parts of it breaking off as it tumbles over and over until landing upside down, in a mess of smoke and debris. But Holladay could feel, even before he was told, that he’d completed the stunt as planned. He’d spent months helping design and rehearse the sequence—called a “cannon roll”—in which he hits a high speed, deliberately triggering a device underneath the car that propels it into the air. During one attempt, he’d sent the car flying too high; during another, the car over-rotated and rolled vertically, end over end. This time, everything felt right. “I 100 percent will not throw myself into a situation that I don’t know every detail about,” Holladay told me. “I’m not going to just go for it and see what happens.”The Fall Guy, which is now in theaters, is about that careful work. The film, loosely based on the campy 1980s television series about a stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter, is an action comedy with an endearing love story at its center—but it’s also a not-so-stealthy celebration of the stunt community. Directed by David Leitch, a former stunt performer himself, the film takes place on the set of a big-budget production, underlining just how much these professionals contribute to action filmmaking beyond their physical exploits.Stunt performers exist in a uniquely tough position in today’s franchise-heavy Hollywood: They’re not household names, but the stunts they do have become a primary selling point for many action-thriller sequels. Their work is often flashy, which has contributed over time to the misconception of them as daredevils, making it hard for them to be taken seriously. And they’re often in the spotlight only when something goes wrong. They’re otherwise supposed to remain invisible—a goal seemingly at odds with long-running efforts to seek industry recognition at the Oscars, which doesn’t have a category awarding stunt work. “It’s our job as stunt performers to be in the shadows, and it’s our job to uphold the illusion of one character … I think we all want to keep that illusion alive for the audience,” Leitch told me. “We’re supposed to be hidden, so how do we celebrate?”Making that campaign part of a mainstream, feel-good summer movie is one way. The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is the most visible and notable push in the stunt community’s decades-long effort to be included at the Academy Awards. In February, the Academy announced that casting directors would be honored starting in 2026, the first time a new category has been added since 2001. In March, the ceremony itself aired a montage about stunt work. To many stunt performers I spoke with over the past month, these moves hinted at a turning point and provided far more encouragement than many of them have been used to.[Read: The Hollywood pros finally getting their due]Jack Gill, who has worked in stunts since the 1970s and was the coordinator behind several Fast and Furious films, began the campaign for Oscar inclusion in 1991. Since then, he told me, he’s been given a litany of reasons stunts can’t be a part of the show: the ceremony is already too long, an award might pressure stunt performers to strive for extra-dangerous acts, and, most of all, stunt work isn’t a creative endeavor. “Just trying to get even one award has been daunting,” he said, adding that when he began his campaign, he was told the process would take five years at most to complete. “I fought three to five years thinking, This is going to happen. And here we are, 30 years later.”When the stunt coordinator Chris O’Hara tells people what he does for a living, he’s usually asked one of three questions: Have you ever been hurt? What movies have you been in? What’s the biggest stunt you’ve ever done?They’re harmless questions, and O’Hara has answered them plenty of times, but they also convey a narrow understanding of what he does. His work isn’t really about getting hurt, or about being in movies, or about taking part in the biggest set pieces possible. The job is, he told me, “to create the illusion of danger by minimizing the risks.” In other words, his work requires intense, careful planning and rehearsing to get right.The Fall Guy shows off the labor that goes into building a stunt by staging several giddy, over-the-top sequences that, one of the film’s producers, Kelly McCormick, told me, “were making dreams come true” for the team. The stunt performers broke personal and world records; Holladay told me that his eight and a half cannon rolls, which set a Guinness World Record, “still doesn’t even feel like it’s a real thing.” But their scenes dazzled not only because of, say, the height of a free fall or the length of a car jump; they also displayed how even minor adjustments to a stunt can deepen the story being told, making them an essential—and, yes, creative—part of the process.Consider a climactic chase scene in The Fall Guy, when Gosling’s protagonist, Colt Seavers, executes a boat jump that ends in an explosion. The stunt involves steering a boat fast enough onto a ramp so that it’ll soar in midair before landing back in the water. In Colt’s case, however, he directs his boat toward explosives so he can attempt an escape. Shortly before filming the scene, Gosling received a vintage jacket promoting the Miami Vice live-stunt show—an actual tourist attraction, involving stunt performances inspired by the series, that ran in the 1980s and ’90s at the Universal Studios theme park.The gift gave him the idea to incorporate one of the show’s tricks into his character’s extensive résumé. Gosling suggested that Colt steer the boat while facing backwards, with his hands tied behind his back, barely maneuvering the wheel. Leitch liked the idea; Colt’s narrative arc explores how, in his quest to impress his ex (Blunt) and prove his worth, he regains the self-confidence he lost after an on-set injury. Making the stunt appear just a little harder—a hidden stunt driver inside the boat meant Gosling’s double wasn’t actually driving it blind—fulfilled the actor’s creative inclinations and underscored the film’s themes. “It could have just been a boat jump, but now we’re defining this character moment for Colt,” Leitch explained.A good stunt doesn’t have to be elaborate. Wade Eastwood, the stunt coordinator for several Mission: Impossible films, told me that work can start years before a film goes into production, and involve simply noting throughout a script where action might be required. If a story, he explained, has an ensemble traveling from one continent to another but little detail about how, he’ll design and pitch sequences to keep the audience’s adrenaline pumping. For instance, if the characters are in Buenos Aires but head to London, he said, “I will then write how they get to London. That’s a car chase into a motorbike chase into a skydive sequence into an aerial sequence … All that creativity is not the writer or the director. That’s actually the stunt coordinator.”[Read: The sincerity and absurdity of Hollywood’s best action franchise]For all of the stunt performers I spoke with, the work has been rewarding, even if Oscar trophies haven’t come along yet. Eastwood in particular emphasized how much he’d rather do his job than attend a single award show. He said he’s been told that he deserves an Oscar for what he’s done for the Mission: Impossible franchise, but he bristles at the idea. “I’m not thinking about if I’m going to get an award for the last Mission,” he said. “I’m thinking, What the hell am I going to do for the next Mission?”Even so, stunt performers being overlooked by the most prestigious industry award has only gotten more baffling as their work has become more multifaceted, the sophistication of the action seen on-screen proving the complexity of their jobs. “Back in the day, it was a bit of a live rodeo … You would just show up and have your bag of pads and athletic ability and willingness to do whatever it is that was asked of you,” said Melissa Stubbs, a stunt coordinator who has doubled for actors such as Margot Robbie and Angelina Jolie, referring to when her career began in the 1980s. “Now we are action designers.” An Oscar category honoring the head of a stunt department would signal that the craft is seen as equal in importance to every other creative element of production. “It’s not to say that our egos need to be stroked,” Jack Gill said. “It’s just that, around your peers, you’d like to be able to say, ‘I did something special.’”After all, stunt performers typically downplay their work on set. Throughout The Fall Guy, Colt gives a thumbs-up at the end of his stunts, a gesture often used to underline how such performers are “stoics,” as McCormick put it: “They give the thumbs-up because a lot of times they can’t speak, let alone barely breathe, but they don’t want to stop production, because they know they’ll eventually be okay.”Perhaps The Fall Guy will too. The film’s earnings underperformed at the box office compared with its reported $130 million budget, marking a muted start to the summer movie season, but its release has been meaningful for the stunt community. At the Los Angeles premiere of The Fall Guy, Stubbs, who had been invited to see the film along with many other members of the tight-knit stunt community, saw a colleague cry as the film played. Stunt workers are as emotionally invested in a movie as anyone else who made it. “Hopefully,” O’Hara said, “people will see us as more than those three questions.”
How Hollywood Fell Short for the Fall GuysOn-screen, during an early scene in The Fall Guy, the stunt driver Logan Holladay pulls off a move that looks utterly chaotic. He steers an SUV that soars across a beach, parts of it breaking off as it tumbles over and over until landing upside down, in a mess of smoke and debris. But Holladay could feel, even before he was told, that he’d completed the stunt as planned. He’d spent months helping design and rehearse the sequence—called a “cannon roll”—in which he hits a high speed, deliberately triggering a device underneath the car that propels it into the air. During one attempt, he’d sent the car flying too high; during another, the car over-rotated and rolled vertically, end over end. This time, everything felt right. “I 100 percent will not throw myself into a situation that I don’t know every detail about,” Holladay told me. “I’m not going to just go for it and see what happens.”The Fall Guy, which is now in theaters, is about that careful work. The film, loosely based on the campy 1980s television series about a stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter, is an action comedy with an endearing love story at its center—but it’s also a not-so-stealthy celebration of the stunt community. Directed by David Leitch, a former stunt performer himself, the film takes place on the set of a big-budget production, underlining just how much these professionals contribute to action filmmaking beyond their physical exploits.Stunt performers exist in a uniquely tough position in today’s franchise-heavy Hollywood: They’re not household names, but the stunts they do have become a primary selling point for many action-thriller sequels. Their work is often flashy, which has contributed over time to the misconception of them as daredevils, making it hard for them to be taken seriously. And they’re often in the spotlight only when something goes wrong. They’re otherwise supposed to remain invisible—a goal seemingly at odds with long-running efforts to seek industry recognition at the Oscars, which doesn’t have a category awarding stunt work. “It’s our job as stunt performers to be in the shadows, and it’s our job to uphold the illusion of one character … I think we all want to keep that illusion alive for the audience,” Leitch told me. “We’re supposed to be hidden, so how do we celebrate?”Making that campaign part of a mainstream, feel-good summer movie is one way. The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is the most visible and notable push in the stunt community’s decades-long effort to be included at the Academy Awards. In February, the Academy announced that casting directors would be honored starting in 2026, the first time a new category has been added since 2001. In March, the ceremony itself aired a montage about stunt work. To many stunt performers I spoke with over the past month, these moves hinted at a turning point and provided far more encouragement than many of them have been used to.[Read: The Hollywood pros finally getting their due]Jack Gill, who has worked in stunts since the 1970s and was the coordinator behind several Fast and Furious films, began the campaign for Oscar inclusion in 1991. Since then, he told me, he’s been given a litany of reasons stunts can’t be a part of the show: the ceremony is already too long, an award might pressure stunt performers to strive for extra-dangerous acts, and, most of all, stunt work isn’t a creative endeavor. “Just trying to get even one award has been daunting,” he said, adding that when he began his campaign, he was told the process would take five years at most to complete. “I fought three to five years thinking, This is going to happen. And here we are, 30 years later.”When the stunt coordinator Chris O’Hara tells people what he does for a living, he’s usually asked one of three questions: Have you ever been hurt? What movies have you been in? What’s the biggest stunt you’ve ever done?They’re harmless questions, and O’Hara has answered them plenty of times, but they also convey a narrow understanding of what he does. His work isn’t really about getting hurt, or about being in movies, or about taking part in the biggest set pieces possible. The job is, he told me, “to create the illusion of danger by minimizing the risks.” In other words, his work requires intense, careful planning and rehearsing to get right.The Fall Guy shows off the labor that goes into building a stunt by staging several giddy, over-the-top sequences that, one of the film’s producers, Kelly McCormick, told me, “were making dreams come true” for the team. The stunt performers broke personal and world records; Holladay told me that his eight and a half cannon rolls, which set a Guinness World Record, “still doesn’t even feel like it’s a real thing.” But their scenes dazzled not only because of, say, the height of a free fall or the length of a car jump; they also displayed how even minor adjustments to a stunt can deepen the story being told, making them an essential—and, yes, creative—part of the process.Consider a climactic chase scene in The Fall Guy, when Gosling’s protagonist, Colt Seavers, executes a boat jump that ends in an explosion. The stunt involves steering a boat fast enough onto a ramp so that it’ll soar in midair before landing back in the water. In Colt’s case, however, he directs his boat toward explosives so he can attempt an escape. Shortly before filming the scene, Gosling received a vintage jacket promoting the Miami Vice live-stunt show—an actual tourist attraction, involving stunt performances inspired by the series, that ran in the 1980s and ’90s at the Universal Studios theme park.The gift gave him the idea to incorporate one of the show’s tricks into his character’s extensive résumé. Gosling suggested that Colt steer the boat while facing backwards, with his hands tied behind his back, barely maneuvering the wheel. Leitch liked the idea; Colt’s narrative arc explores how, in his quest to impress his ex (Blunt) and prove his worth, he regains the self-confidence he lost after an on-set injury. Making the stunt appear just a little harder—a hidden stunt driver inside the boat meant Gosling’s double wasn’t actually driving it blind—fulfilled the actor’s creative inclinations and underscored the film’s themes. “It could have just been a boat jump, but now we’re defining this character moment for Colt,” Leitch explained.A good stunt doesn’t have to be elaborate. Wade Eastwood, the stunt coordinator for several Mission: Impossible films, told me that work can start years before a film goes into production, and involve simply noting throughout a script where action might be required. If a story, he explained, has an ensemble traveling from one continent to another but little detail about how, he’ll design and pitch sequences to keep the audience’s adrenaline pumping. For instance, if the characters are in Buenos Aires but head to London, he said, “I will then write how they get to London. That’s a car chase into a motorbike chase into a skydive sequence into an aerial sequence … All that creativity is not the writer or the director. That’s actually the stunt coordinator.”[Read: The sincerity and absurdity of Hollywood’s best action franchise]For all of the stunt performers I spoke with, the work has been rewarding, even if Oscar trophies haven’t come along yet. Eastwood in particular emphasized how much he’d rather do his job than attend a single award show. He said he’s been told that he deserves an Oscar for what he’s done for the Mission: Impossible franchise, but he bristles at the idea. “I’m not thinking about if I’m going to get an award for the last Mission,” he said. “I’m thinking, What the hell am I going to do for the next Mission?”Even so, stunt performers being overlooked by the most prestigious industry award has only gotten more baffling as their work has become more multifaceted, the sophistication of the action seen on-screen proving the complexity of their jobs. “Back in the day, it was a bit of a live rodeo … You would just show up and have your bag of pads and athletic ability and willingness to do whatever it is that was asked of you,” said Melissa Stubbs, a stunt coordinator who has doubled for actors such as Margot Robbie and Angelina Jolie, referring to when her career began in the 1980s. “Now we are action designers.” An Oscar category honoring the head of a stunt department would signal that the craft is seen as equal in importance to every other creative element of production. “It’s not to say that our egos need to be stroked,” Jack Gill said. “It’s just that, around your peers, you’d like to be able to say, ‘I did something special.’”After all, stunt performers typically downplay their work on set. Throughout The Fall Guy, Colt gives a thumbs-up at the end of his stunts, a gesture often used to underline how such performers are “stoics,” as McCormick put it: “They give the thumbs-up because a lot of times they can’t speak, let alone barely breathe, but they don’t want to stop production, because they know they’ll eventually be okay.”Perhaps The Fall Guy will too. The film’s earnings underperformed at the box office compared with its reported $130 million budget, marking a muted start to the summer movie season, but its release has been meaningful for the stunt community. At the Los Angeles premiere of The Fall Guy, Stubbs, who had been invited to see the film along with many other members of the tight-knit stunt community, saw a colleague cry as the film played. Stunt workers are as emotionally invested in a movie as anyone else who made it. “Hopefully,” O’Hara said, “people will see us as more than those three questions.”
