Austin, TX

'The Fall Guy,' a love letter to stunt performers, premieres at SXSW

Published

2 years ago

March 13, 2024

'The Fall Guy,' a love letter to stunt performers, premieres at SXSW

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Coming nearly straight from the Oscars with a truck full of Kenergy, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt rolled into the South By Southwest Film and TV Festival to premiere “The Fall Guy,” an affectionate, action-fueled ode to stunt work and the dedicated professionals that throw their bodies into filmmaking.

“The Fall Guy,” directed by stuntman-turned-filmmaker David Leitch, was perhaps the most anticipated world premiere to hit this year’s edition of SXSW. Given that Blunt and Gosling were both coming off Sunday’s Oscars where they were each nominated — and where Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” brought the house down — the buzz was even stronger Tuesday night.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to sing. I promise,” Gosling said before the film, prompting the crowd to boo.

But that was the only sound of disappointment that emanated from the raucous Austin, Texas, audience that lapped up every minute of “The Fall Guy,” an action movie loosely based on the 1980s TV series that Universal will open in theaters May 3.

In the film, Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, stunt double for a major movie star named Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who, after a back-breaking fall, is coaxed into returning to set to work on the sci-fi directorial debut of his lost love (Blunt). “The Fall Guy” has wall-to-wall action set pieces, both staged in the movie-within-the-movie and that occur in off-set adventures.

Margot Robbie arrives at the 96th Academy Awards Oscar nominees luncheon on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

“We really wanted to celebrate crews and the magic behind the scenes,” said Leitch, who was Brad Pitt’s stunt double, among others, before making his first feature, 2014’s “John Wick.” His last film, “Bullet Train,” also starred Pitt.

But that clever bit of casting had nothing on the playful role reversals of “The Fall Guy.” It features a megawatt A-lister playing a stuntman whose face is treated like a liability for movie, acting alongside many of the stunt workers who actually worked on “The Fall Guy.” That includes Logan Holladay, who performed Gosling’s stunts, like a record-breaking car crash with 8 ½ rolls.

“There’s a moment in the film where he buckles me in for a stunt he’s about to do. And after it happens, I come out of the car and he pats me on the back for a stunt he just did,” Gosling said. “What I love about this movie is that in any other film you would not know that, but in this film, you do.”

The SXSW premiere of “The Fall Guy” came with some of its own stunts. A pair of motorcycles sped through the crowds milling outside the Paramount Theater before Blunt and Gosling arrived in the back of a pick-up.

Blunt and Gosling weren’t the only ones fresh from the Academy Awards. Leitch and his wife, Kelly McCormick, (a producer on “The Fall Guy”) produced a clip reel of stunts for the telecast. Though stunt performance isn’t an Oscar category (a sore point that comes up in “The Fall Guy”), Leitch thinks it will happen soon. The academy recently voted to add an Oscar for casting.

“I do feel it’s changing,” Leitch said. “I think the academy wants it and it’s going to happen.”

But, in the meantime, “The Fall Guy” seeks to give stunt performers – among other crew members – a moment in the spotlight.

“There are so many cynical movies about movie making. But the truth is in my experience, everyone cares so much,” Gosling said. “Even if it’s a prop, even if it’s a mug, the prop person will bring out 10 mugs and will have broken one of the handles and glued it back because they thought maybe it broke at one point but has sentimental value to you.”

Sentiment plays more of a role in “The Fall Guy” than you might think, too. Though Leitch said it was initially less prominent in the film, Gosling urged him to expand the love story component. “The Fall Guy” may exalt anonymous film workers, but it’s lifted by the charisma and chemistry of its two leading stars.

“Emily could create chemistry with a trash can,” Gosling said of Blunt, who was nominated for her supporting performance in the best-picture winner “Oppenheimer.”

Another “Fall Guy” co-star — an attack dog that responds only to commands in French — had particular poignance for Gosling.

“Eva (Mendes) and I used to have a dog named Hugo who was a Belgian malinois, who was an attack dog. And he only spoke French,” Gosling said. “He’s passed now and this is my homage to him. I miss that dude. He was a bon garcon.”

But in countless ways, the greatest romance in “The Fall Guy” is for the movies. Among those that get specifically name-checked are “Rocky” and “The Last of the Mohicans.” In those films and others, the bruising toil of stunt workers is designed to be invisible. “The Fall Guy” flips the script.

“I have to say,” Gosling said, “I’m Ryan Gosling and I did almost none of my own stunts in this movie.”

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

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Austin, TX

Man arrested, charged for deadly shooting at downtown Austin hotel

Published

8 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested, charged for deadly shooting at downtown Austin hotel

article

AUSTIN, Texas – A 20-year-old was arrested and charged with murder for a deadly shooting at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Austin, police said.

What we know:

Police said on Monday, Jan. 5, around 6:55 a.m., officers responded to a report of a gunshot at the Cambria Hotel at 68 East Avenue #824. The caller said a person had been shot.

When officers arrived, they found a man with injuries. He later died at the scene. He was identified as Luke Bradburn.

The investigation revealed that Bradburn drove and crashed a car that belonged to 20-year-old Maximillian Salinas. After the crash, Bradburn and the other people in the car left and went to the Cambria Hotel.

Salinas went to the hotel and shot Bradburn.

On Jan. 6, Salinas was arrested and charged with murder.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Austin Police at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.

The Source: Information from the Austin Police Department

DowntownCrime and Public Safety

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Austin, TX

Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis

Published

20 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis

Chants of “shame” and “ICE out of Texas” rang through the street as Austin-area activists joined thousands across the nation in protesting the killing of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.

The protest was held in front of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.

Good, 37, was shot in her SUV while attempting to drive away from several ICE officers who ordered her to exit her vehicle.

Scarleth Lopez with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the organization that led the protest, said the videos of the shooting in Minneapolis were “sickening.”

“Trump has lied and and said that Renee was a terrorist. She was a mother. She was an innocent bystander,” Lopez said. “We must organize to stop these people from kidnapping and murdering.”

Lorianne Willett

KUT News

Spray painted messages appeared outside of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville

Elizabeth Bope, a retired Pflugerville ISD teacher, said the claims from federal and state lawmakers that Good was attempting to strike the ICE agent with her vehicle inspired her to attend the protest.

Such claims were posted online by Vice President J.D. Vance and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Attorney General Ken Paxton reposted a statement from DHS on X, formerly known as Twitter, that said the ICE agent “relied on his training and saved his own life.”

“It’s beyond really any words that they killed this woman for no reason, but also that they’re lying about it,” Bope said. “I’m not even a radical left person, I’m just a regular old Democrat.”

Other key Texas leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have not commented on the shooting.

A group of protesters holding yellow signs reading "ICE Out of our Communities" gather during a night time protest. — Protesters gathered and held signs during a protest against ICE.

Doug Tickner, who said he works for a home building company in Austin, said he felt it was important to show up in person for Good.

“I don’t really think of Minneapolis as being that far from here, and it’s not like what happened in Minneapolis was some sort of one off unique event,” Tickner said. “This is part of a pattern, and I feel folks better wake up and realize that this is becoming more and more serious.”

The news that federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, broke hours before the protest.

The gathering in Pflugerville is among the first of four anti-ICE demonstrations planned across the Austin area over the next few days.

Earlier on Thursday, protesters gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard during rush hour. A protest on Friday will be held at the Capitol and another will be held Saturday at City Hall.

Protesters bang on the outside of a building built of metal. — Protesters bang on the outside of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.

State and federal leaders are now sparring over who should conduct an investigation into the Minneapolis shooting, according to NPR.

Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which was originally asked to conduct a joint investigation with the FBI, said in a statement it was later told the investigation would be led solely by federal authorities.

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Austin, TX

Flesh-eating screwworm may be moving closer to Texas on its own, ag commissioner says

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Flesh-eating screwworm may be moving closer to Texas on its own, ag commissioner says

article

AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas agency is concerned that the flesh-eating New World screwworm could be getting closer to Texas without commercial livestock movement.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is sounding the alarm again for livestock owners to remain vigilant in watching for signs of the parasite in their animals.

Screwworm sighting near Texas

The latest:

Miller said in a Thursday release that a screwworm had been detected in a cow in González, Tamaulipas, a little more than 200 miles from the southern Texas border.

According to the commissioner, the cow had no reported history of movement outside Tamaulipas, and is the third active case reported there.

Officials in Mexico have not reported a known population of the worm in Tamaulipas. They’re working with U.S. authorities to investigate further into the new case.

What they’re saying:

“The screwworm now may be moving closer on its own, with no apparent link to commercial animal movement,” Commissioner Miller said. “Texas producers must act now—stay informed, stay vigilant, and prepare immediately. We cannot drop our guard for even a moment.”

Inspect livestock for screwworm

What you can do:

Miller urged immediate action from ranchers along the Texas border.

“Inspect your animals daily,” Miller said. “Check every open wound. If anything looks suspicious, report it right away. Better a false alarm than a delayed response—early detection and rapid reporting are our strongest defenses against this devastating pest.”

U.S. plan to fight screwworm in Texas

Big picture view:

The threat to cattle has been deemed so potentially devastating to the U.S. food supply that the federal government is committing $850 million to fight it.

Most of that money will be spent on building a sterile male fly production facility near the border.

The facility will produce 300 million sterile male flies a week to be dropped into target areas where the screwworm is now. Those male flies help to reduce the population size through mating without reproducing.

A much smaller portion of the funding will be used for screwworm detection technology.

In addition, the federal government has already spent $21 million on a sterile fly production facility in Mexico.

What are New World screwworms?

Dig deeper:

The insect gets its name because it’s only found in the Americas.

It lays its eggs in the open wounds of animals, and its larvae become parasites, threatening livestock, domestic animals, and even people.

The screwworm was mostly eradicated in Texas and the rest of the United States in the 60s. But now, it’s moving north up from Panama and has a known presence a little over 300 miles south of the Texas-Mexico border.

The Source: Information in this article comes from Sid Miller.

Texas

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