The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science celebrate art, but they don’t yet celebrate the art of stunt coordinators and performers. While the Academy has taken steps forward to recognize a few overlooked categories, such as casting directors, the organization still needs to shine a light on the stunt community. Ryan Reynolds, who has plenty of experience with stunt teams, is making his case for the Academy to finally award some of the hardest working performers on the planet.
Reynolds posted the following on on Twitter:
It’s a change Reynolds, as well as the stunt community, would like to see happen sooner than later:
“Stunt work doesn’t have a category at The Oscars and I hope that’ll change someday. So many films have smashed it this year. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Chaplin were stunt performers as well as filmmakers. Telling stories with their entire bodies. This [Deadpool & Wolverine] stunt team over-delivered. A lot of them are friends I’ve worked with for years and I’ll spend the rest of my days doodling their names in my Heidi Stationary, dotting all the ‘i’s’ with little hearts.
Reynolds concluded his post with:
“Huge shoutout to Andy Lister for bringing a new and insane Wolvie gear to the Deadpool Corps fight as well,” he said, before ending with, “If you’d like to see @TheAcademy recognize the amazing work of stunt teams ACROSS THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY, let them know!”
Support from the public, as well as movie stars such as Ryan Reynolds, could be two key factors to getting The Academy to recognize the artistry of stunt teams. They risk their lives for art. There’s no logical reason why they shouldn’t be celebrated for their contributions to film.
