Following the announcement that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will finally be giving out an Oscar for Stunt Design, actor Tom Hardy has questioned whether just one award category is enough.
Speaking to IGN ahead of the release of his new film, Havoc, Hardy expressed his thoughts: “One Oscar, it's a bit too little too late in some aspects. It's good, it's great and cup half full territory, but I think perhaps more is asked for.”
He elaborated on the complexity of stunt work, saying, “It's not enough just stunt design because there are so many elements that go into stunts as a department. The design element is like an umbrella for a diaspora of different groups within that world that all need to be illuminated, and understood, quite how hard they work, and what the stunt department, along with effects, deliver for people that want to go to cinema or sit down and watch anything remotely with any action or anything beyond just the written word or the spoken word. Whether it's people on horseback, cars, people jumping off buildings, people being on fire, fights, people getting run over, underwater, skydiving, whatever it is.”
Hardy emphasized the dedication and risk involved in stunt work, adding, “That entire universe of people is unsung, and they put a lot on the line for that physically, and they're largely unspoken, but they do really put the thrill into film and TV. I've got a lot of friends in that world, so yeah, I'd like to see some subcategories in there as well.”
Havoc’s director, Gareth Evans, whose previous work helming The Raid films delivered some of the most exciting action and stunt work ever seen in movies, echoed Hardy's sentiments. “Subcategories would be nice,” Evans stated. “I don't think awards drive the craft. I think that's the wrong reason to do it. I think it's all about expressing yourself within the parameters of what the film is that you're making. I think it's about time that it got rewarded, about time that it had some recognition, and hard to understand why it wasn't from the get-go really.”
It will have taken 100 years for the Oscars to introduce an award category dedicated to the craft of stunt design when it arrives at the 2028 Academy Awards. However, you won’t have to wait quite as long to watch Havoc, which arrives on Netflix this Friday, April 25th, if you fancy watching Tom Hardy in action.
