The Fall Guy star Ryan Gosling claims he didn't realize how much he was afraid of heights until midway through filming a stunt scene in the critically acclaimed action comedy. The Oscar-nominated actor admits his "body turns to stone" when he's too high above the ground.

Speaking with Wall Street Journal Magazine, Gosling recalled one scene during principal photography which made him realize how much of a physical toll he was undertaking for The Fall Guy. The scene in question saw Gosling drop from a ledge into an atrium, causing him to freeze in fear given the high risk. “My body turns to stone,” he said. “I think it’s happened when I had kids — really, you start to be way more conscious of everything you do and everything you’ve ever done and everything you will do if you get a chance to do it.” He also admitted filming from such heights left him "seeing stars" and "kind of blacking out" at times.

The Fall Guy chronicles Gosling's character, Colt Seavers, a seasoned action choreographer who gets back in action on the set of his ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno's (Emily Blunt) first movie and steps in to find the film's missing actor, Tom Hardy (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Despite admitting some struggles while filming his scenes, Gosling enjoyed portraying Colt and would love to reprise his role for a potential sequel. “We already know exactly what the sequel is,” Gosling said. “We, just for ourselves, wanted to know what happened to these characters. I hope that the audience wants to see it.”

The Fall Guy Is a Love Letter to Stunts

Described as a "love letter to stunts" by stuntperson-turned-director David Leitch, The Fall Guy has been well received since premiering at South by Southwest in March, with an 82% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the action comedy, released on May 3, seems destined for box-office doom as it's made just over $106 million worldwide against a budget ranging from $125 million to $150 million.

The Fall Guy also stars Black Panther franchise star Winston Duke and Mission: Impossible 8's Hannah Waddingham. The Universal title also features a surprise cameo from Aquaman film series actor, Jason Momoa, who appears as himself.

Gosling, who earned a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination for portraying Ken in Barbie, is slated to reunite with his co-star, Margot Robbie, for the planned Ocean's Eleven prequel movie, Oceans. The Fall Guy sees Gosling and Blunt star together after Barbie and Oppenheimer's famed box-office battle last summer.

The Fall Guy is now showing in theaters across North America.

Source: Wall Street Journal