TEXAS: Hollywood stars Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling pay tribute to stunt actors in a film by director David Leitch, who himself started as a stunt actor. Loosely based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers, “The Fall Guy,” which releases in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, is billed as blending humor, romance, mystery, and action.

“It's a celebration of our incredible industry and this film is about that, but it's really to just broadcast the incredible and indelible work of stunt performers and what they've done for cinema,” Blunt said in an interview with Arab News.

“What they've done for people's entertainment … they've risked life and limb to give people that crackling sense of wonder that you feel in movies and it's time they got their outing,” she added.

In a challenge to the invasion of digital effects in film, not only is “The Fall Guy’ packed with stunts but it has officially set a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car, performed by stunt driver Logan Holladay. Eight-and-a-half rolls broke the previous record of seven, set by Adam Kirley for 2006’s “Casino Royale.”

Gosling praised the film for giving a platform to stunt performer.

“I had a stunt double my whole life. And it's always been this strange dynamic where they come in, they do all the cool stuff, and then they go and hide and you pretend like you did it and it's not cool, it's about time that recognize (their work),” he said.

The film follows the story of Colt Sievers, a stuntman who left his job to focus on his own health. When the star of a big-budget movie directed by his ex-girlfriend goes missing, he is recalled to active duty.

“Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham also stars in the film. The British actress shed light on what the movie means to her.

“You know, we shot it this time last year in Sydney. Starting in late November, October time. So to finally be here, I feel like I've had to keep a lid on it for so long. And my brother and I were obsessed with “The Fall Guy” when I was little, when I was like ten years old so it's so lovely,” she said.

LONDON: Irish actress Nicola Coughlan has revealed that she was told her Palestinian advocacy could harm her career.

The “Bridgerton” and “Derry Girls” star told Teen Vogue she had been warned by people in Hollywood not to be openly supportive of Palestinian rights, but has continued to campaign for a ceasefire in Gaza and still publicly wears an Artists4Ceasefire pin.

“You do get told, ‘you won’t get work, you won’t do this,’ but I also think, deep down, if you know that you’re coming from a place of ‘I don’t want any innocent people to suffer,’ then I’m not worried about people’s reactions,” she said.

“My family lived in Jerusalem back in the late ‘70s, early ’80s, before I was born, so I heard first hand stories about them living there.”

She said her father, who served in the Irish military, went to a “lot of war-torn regions after the conflict and try and help rebuild,” and this had left a profound impression on her.

“I’m so lucky I’ve gotten to this point in my career, and I’m privileged as a white woman, first off.

“Then the fact that I get to do the job I love and travel the world and meet amazing people, I feel a moral responsibility to give back.”

She has made a point of continuing to campaign and raise money around the issue, adding: “To me, it always becomes about supporting all innocent people, which sounds oversimplified, but I think you’ve got to look at situations and just think, ‘Are we supporting innocent people no matter where they’re from, who they are?’ That’s my drive.”

Coughlan said social media plays a role in driving advocacy but it requires nuance. “More of us should be trying to understand how upsetting and traumatising this is for Jewish people, and how horrific it is that all these innocent people in Palestine are being murdered,” she added.

A number of Hollywood figures have faced repercussions for their open support of the Palestinians or criticism of Israel.

Mexican actress Melissa Barrera was fired from the latest “Scream” film over social media posts in support of Palestine, while director Jonathan Glazer caused controversy for using his acceptance speech at the Oscars for his film “The Zone of Interest” to criticize the Gaza war.