LOS ANGELES – Behind every movie star is an army of people who make them look good.

The Fall Guy, a new action comedy starring Oscar-nominated actors Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, shifts the focus to some of those folks, especially the stuntmen who literally take the fall for them on set.

At a recent press day in Los Angeles, Gosling and Blunt tell The Straits Times they owe a lot to their stunt doubles – and reveal who some of the other unsung heroes are in their lives.

Opening in Singapore cinemas on April 25, the new film is helmed by American director and former stuntman David Leitch, who is behind action hits such as Bullet Train (2022), Deadpool 2 (2018) and Atomic Blonde (2017).

Gosling plays Colt, a stuntman who returns to work after an accident that almost ended his career, only to find himself on the set of a movie directed by his former girlfriend Jody (Blunt).

And when the film’s A-list leading man Tom (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) suddenly goes missing, it is up to Colt to find him and save the day.

While filming on location in Sydney, Australia, Gosling’s stunt double, 34-year-old American stuntman Logan Holladay, set a new Guinness World Record by completing 8½ cannon rolls in a car – a stunt where a cannon-like mechanism propels a vehicle into a series of flips and rolls.

This is why performers such as Holladay are the real action heroes, Gosling says.

“They come in and take hits for us, and they’re always looking out for our safety,” adds the 43-year-old Canadian actor, who starred in action films such as the thriller Drive (2011) and science-fiction epic Blade Runner 2049 (2017).

“They come to set, do the hard stuff and risk more than anyone – and sort of get none of the credit. It’s cut together to make it seem like you did it. So it’s really nice to be part of something that finally shines the light on them,” says the star, who received Oscar nominations for his roles in the satirical comedy Barbie (2023), musical romance La La Land (2016) and drama Half Nelson (2006).

“And to show that it is an art form,” he adds. “Because sometimes people think it’s just about taking a hit or falling down, but that’s just a small part of it.”

Blunt, 41, has also worked with her share of stunt doubles on science-fiction action blockbusters such as Edge Of Tomorrow (2014) and Looper (2012).

The Fall Guy “hopefully springboards the conversation into them getting the recognition they deserve – because their contribution to cinema goes hand in hand with the history of cinema”, says the English star, who picked up an Oscar nomination for her role in the war biopic Oppenheimer (2023).

Asked who some other unsung heroes are in their own lives, Gosling says: “Obviously, there’s my mum and my sister, but I sing their praises a lot, as I should.

“I had an uncle, Uncle Bill, and when I was young and having a hard time in school and in life, he bought this big empty scrapbook and said, ‘I’m going to fill this with your accomplishments.’”

Added the actor, who is married to 50-year-old American actress Eva Mendes and has two daughters aged seven and nine with her: “I didn’t have any, and it kind of broke my heart to think of it sitting empty, so I started trying to accomplish things to fill the book.

“It was a beautiful thing to do and it really made a big impact in my life. Sometimes, it’s those little things – someone believing in you can be everything.”

Blunt singles out her personal assistant Brie Henderson, whom she says “literally manages my entire existence”.

“I would be like a child without her; I’d be so useless,” says the actress, who is married to American actor-director John Krasinski, 44, with whom she shares two daughters aged nine and seven.

“She just runs my life. She’s my boss.”

• The Fall Guy opens in Singapore cinemas on April 25.