Brad Pitt won an Oscar on Sunday night for “Best Supporting Actor” for his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And he took the opportunity to recognize stunt-doubles for their work.
In his Oscar acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor, Bad Pitt called attention to the stunt industry, acknowledging an ever-growing sentiment that stunt actors should be recognized for their work in movies, alongside actors.
In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pitt portrays a fictitious stuntman named Cliff Booth, who does stunt work for Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Rick Dalton.
People in the stunt industry, in the film industry, and in the media have been calling for Oscar recognition for the high-flying, flipping, fighting professionals for years. Stunt actors, after all, put themselves into harm’s way so that actors can stay healthy.
Anything required on film that may harm an actor is immediately tasked to a stunt-worker, who is trained to handle these higher-stakes situations. So it was very fitting that Brad Pitt would take this opportunity to recognize the people who have been doing this on his behalf for years, especially given the nature of his role in this movie.
“I think it’s time we give a little love to our stunt coordinators and our stunt crews,” Pitt said.
Stunt doubles have had to perform increasingly dangerous stunts in recent years to keep up with the demand for higher-octane entertainment. There has never been a better time to recognize these extremely talented people.
Here’s to hoping that by 2021, we have an Academy Award, or several, with their names on it.
