Chris O’Hara, president of Stunts Unlimited, renowned stunt coordinator and second unit director, will receive the industry’s first ever film credit of “Stunt Designer” for his work on Universal Pictures’ new 87North film, The Fall Guy, directed by David Leitch and produced by Kelly McCormick, Leitch, Guymon Casady and Ryan Gosling. While O’Hara’s position as a production head on set is traditionally called “Stunt Coordinator,” which is an official Screen Actors Guild credit also recognized by the Directors Guild of America, this addition of the “Stunt Designer” moniker better encompasses the multifaceted nature of the profession.
87North, the globally renowned production company led by Leitch and McCormick, initiated and championed the new Stunt Designer credit not only to acknowledge O’Hara’s extraordinary work on The Fall Guy, but also to accurately reflect the high-level artistic contribution of world-class stunt coordinators like O’Hara. These are artists who do more than coordinate the logistics of stunts; they design and create them. “Stunt Designers are the creative architects behind fight scenes, high falls, and more, and deserve to be recognized for the creative leadership of their contributions,” Leitch says. “Universal’s decision to allow Kelly and me to add ‘Stunt Designer’ to Chris’ credit on The Fall Guy marks a groundbreaking move for a major studio. We hope this will pave the way for the stunts industry to get the recognition it deserves.”
To achieve this first-of-its-kind credit, McCormick and the 87North team contacted the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in collaboration with Universal. “Generally, it’s the Stunt Department’s job to be invisible on screen, but during a production, it literally touches all other departments on set,” McCormick says. “For The Fall Guy especially, David and I felt it was crucial to highlight the artistic and technical aspects of this craft. We proposed the addition of the word ‘Designer’ to the role to properly define the job and reflect Chris’ creative contribution on The Fall Guy production, which he wields on every production when he is hired at the current stunt industry title of ‘Coordinator.’”
O’Hara’s journey in the entertainment industry is marked by extraordinary achievements and an unwavering commitment to excellence, with an illustrious career highlighted by exceptional work on films such as Free Guy, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and Jurassic World. As the president of Stunts Unlimited, a leading action design group, he has throughout his career leveraged his expertise to redefine industry standards and elevate the creative aspects of stunt design. “The ‘Stunt Designer’ designation—added to my Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director responsibilities for The Fall Guy—is a long-overdue correction to what this production head position in stunts entails,” O’Hara says. “This is a step toward setting a new standard for recognizing the creative contributions of stunt professionals across the industry.”
This credit establishes a new benchmark for recognizing the artistic expertise of stunt professionals. Says McCormick, “It is our hope that the Stunt Designer credit on The Fall Guy inspires other film and television productions to grant use of it for their own stunt professionals. If widely utilized, it may lead to greater overall recognition of the artistic contributions the stunt community provides our industry.”
The Fall Guy, directed by Leitch and starring Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is an all-star apex-action thriller and a love letter to action movies, including the hard-working and under-appreciated crews who make them. The film showcases O’Hara’s expertise in conceiving and designing adrenaline-pumping stunts that are both visually spectacular and narratively compelling. O’Hara’s collaboration with Leitch, a former stunt coordinator himself, reflects their deep-rooted connection, which spans nearly three decades. “Chris and I have been on this journey together for almost 30 years,” Leitch says. “Having that sense of familiarity with him was vital for The Fall Guy, because we knew we wanted to create practical stunts rather than rely on visual effects, and Chris’ expertise was instrumental in designing stunts that were not only safe but also achieved our creative vision.”
The Fall Guy arrives in theaters on May 3, 2024.