David Leitch directs the upcoming Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt-starrer action-comedy movie The Fall Guy from a screenplay by Drew Pearce. The movie is reportedly based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers and follows Colt Seavers trying to save his ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno’s directorial debut. Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, along with Winston Duke, Stephanie Hsu, and Hannah Waddingham, also star in the movie.
The Fall Guy premiered at SXSW and received positive responses from the audience at the film festival and the critics. Ahead of its premiere, Ryan Gosling confesses his deep admiration for an artist who has managed to make the entire world feel emotions in a single day after her recent album was released on April 19, 2024.
Ryan Gosling says he went too far while filming an emotional scene involving Taylor Swift in The Fall Guy
In his recent interview with Collider, Ryan Gosling and co-star Emily Blunt recalled a filming and emotional scene where Taylor Swift was involved. The interviewer reminded Gosling that in that particular scene, he’s in a car, very emotional, while Taylor Swift’s All Too Well plays, to which he noted,
“Who hasn’t had a good car cry to Taylor Swift, right? So it felt kind of obvious in a way.”
Emily Blunt, however, mentioned that she wasn’t sure what lengths the actor would go to for the car cry scene but was impressed when she witnessed it happening. Gosling confessed that the makers decided to cut the actual car cry because it wasn’t pretty, so what the audience is going to see is post-cry, and Blunt chimed in to add that the scene has sparked off in a very funny way before adding:
“That scene was sort of scripted to a certain extent, and then we were able just to improve, and that’s always the fun part because he’s such a master at it, and it’s so joyful doing those kinds of scenes with Ryan.”
Blunt mentioned that that scene was fun to play, with Gosling stating that for an action movie to have a scene like that, to have those two things coexist in one place is sort of why The Fall Guy is special.
David Leitch reveals how Ryan Gosling shaped his character in The Fall Guy
In speaking with ScreenRant, director David Leitch revealed that The Fall Guy was initially going to be a noir film until Gosling expressed that the movie should be an action rom-com. The director said,
“It’s funny; it started out as noir, and we were going to do sort of an LA noir, but I think Ryan influenced Kelly McCormick [co-producer], and so did our creative producer and Emily. There were a lot of influences, but we kept leaning more into fun. Ryan brought up the romance. Kelly was working on Emily’s character to take her from makeup artist to director.”
Leitch further noted that the actor, right from the development phase, was influential in creating the characters and even scenes for scenes up to filming. The response the movie received at the SXSW in March proves that Gosling’s hunch to shift the genre from noir to action rom-com was apt.
Ryan Gosling, while speaking to ScreenRant, admits that the movie is going to honor stunt doubles or professionals, showing them as the real unsung heroes of the industry. He added that records were broken in the movie, adding that David Leitch, who is a former stunt guy, surrounded the crew with the best of the best, which is how the movie became a love letter to the stunt community and their legacy.
The Fall Guy is scheduled for release on May 3, 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What scene does Ryan Gosling describe in The Fall Guy involving a Taylor Swift song?
Ryan Gosling described an emotional car scene where his character listens to Taylor Swift’s All Too Well while crying. He said the moment felt obvious, joking that everyone has had a good car cry to the song at some point. Co-star Emily Blunt said the actual take was cut for being too intense, so audiences only see the moment right after it happens.
How did The Fall Guy’s genre change during development?
Director David Leitch said The Fall Guy originally started as an LA noir film before shifting toward an action rom-com. He credited Ryan Gosling with pushing for more romance in the story, while producer Kelly McCormick and Emily Blunt helped develop her character’s arc from makeup artist to director. The tonal shift leaned the project toward more fun overall.
What is The Fall Guy based on?
The Fall Guy is reportedly based on the 1980s television series of the same name about stunt performers. Directed by David Leitch from a screenplay by Drew Pearce, the film follows stuntman Colt Seavers trying to help his ex-girlfriend on her directorial debut. Gosling has said the movie honors real stunt professionals as the industry’s unsung heroes.
