The Fall Guyfeatures some unexpected yet legendary cameos from the original TV series of the same name. The film stars Ryan Gosling in his highly-anticipated follow-up to 2023’s highest-grossing film,Barbie. It’s also a massive love letter and tribute to the history of stuntmen and stuntwomen in Hollywood, featuring several wild stunts while offering glimpses of behind-the-scenes movie magic.The Fall Guyis part romantic comedy, part action comedy, and 100% crowd-pleasing fun. Gosling shines inThe Fall Guy’scastalongside Emily Blunt, and a stellar supporting cast of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, and Winston Duke.
Despite its positive critical reception,The Fall Guyunderwhelmed at the box office. While it is technically considered a box office flop,The Fall Guyfinished as the 26th highest-grossing movie of 2024 and outperformed bothFuriosa: A Mad Max SagaandTransformers One.The Fall Guyalso called out the Oscarsfor its lack of representation of stunt workers and called for an official Stunts category to be implemented at the Academy Awards.
The Fall Guyset a new Guinness World Record for most car rolls in a stunt.
Lee Majors & Heather Thomas Have Cameos In The Fall Guy’s Post-Credits Scene
They Play Police Officers In The Final Scene Of 2024’s The Fall Guy
WhileThe Fall Guyfeatures a latesurprise cameo from Jason Momoa, it also features cameos from Lee Majors and Heather Thomas, two of the stars of the original 1980s series of the same name.The Fall Guytelevision series ran for 112 episodes across five seasons from 1981 to 1986. Majors originally played Gosling’s role of stuntman Colt Seavers while Heather Thomas originally played Blunt’s role as Jody, although her character’s full name was Jody Banks while Blunt’s character’s last name is Moreno.
The series was created by the prolific Glen A. Larson, who was also behind iconic series such asKnight Rider(1982),Magnum P.I.(1980), andBattlestar Galactica(1978). After the action-packed closing credits sequence in 2024’sThe Fall Guy, which shows behind-the-scenes footage of the stuntwork that went into the making of the film,a post-credits scene appears with a typewritten font that reads “Previously on The Fall Guy.”
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With elements of action, romance, and adventure, The Fall Guys is a thrilling movie. Many great films of the past and present have similar themes.
It reveals that Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character Tom Ryder and Hannah Waddingham’s character Gail Meyer survived the helicopter crash but were met with a band of police cars. Lee Majors appears as one of the cops, telling Gail she “has the right to remain silent, so shut the hell up.” Heather Thomas, also dressed in police attire, joins in with, “Will somebody cuff this bitch?”
Lee Majors & Heather Thomas Were The Stars Of The Original The Fall Guy TV Show
Both Majors & Thomas Played Stunt Performers In The Original Series
Despite having brief cameos in 2024’sThe Fall Guybefore the final credits roll, Lee Majors and Heather Thomas were two of the biggest stars in the 1980s television series. Both Majors and Thomas were two of the three actors who appeared in all 112 episodes of the 1980s television show with the third being the other series lead Douglas Barr, who played Howie Munson. Barr’s Howie and Majors' Colt were both bounty hunters in the original series, with Howie being Colt’s cousin and a stuntman in training.
Rather than being a film director like Blunt’s Jody character in the film,Thomas’s Jody Banks character was also a stunt performer. It’s evident by these character differences alone that 2024’sThe Fall Guywas inspired by the 1980s series but is not necessarily a true adaptation of it. The greatest similarity between any two characters of the film and the television series is Colt Seavers, who share the same name and day job.
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Emily Blunt is returning for this sequel to the $326 million movie, and it is the perfect time to announce it after the release of The Fall Guy.
Majors, however, delivers a signature bravado to the role in the 1980s series, while Gosling successfully pulls off his usual lighthearted charm, which makes sense for modern audiences and his typical M.O. Several actors such as William Bryant and Ben Cooper played directors in the original series, while that title is given to Blunt alone in the film.
How The Fall Guy Movie Got Lee Majors & Heather Thomas To Do Cameos
Majors Reached Out To David Leitch Directly
DirectorDavid Leitch revealed that Lee Majors reached outto him personally about appearing in some capacity inThe Fall Guy. “Lee was really excited that it was finally getting redone. And then he reached out personally and we talked about what I was doing. And so he was excited to come out. And we thought we would reach out to Heather as well. I think they were both excited about reuniting in this fun way.”
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Leitch also joked that he owes Majors some serious dough since he correctly predicted where his scene would go inThe Fall Guy. “I actually owe him $1,000. It’s coming, Lee. It’s coming.”
What Lee Majors & Heather Thomas Did Before Their Fall Guy Cameos
Lee Majors broke out with roles in Westersn likeThe Big ValleyandThe Virginian, but his real breakout came when he signed on to play Colonel Steve Austin inThe Six MIllion Dollar Man. That saw him star as a U.S. Air Force Colonel involved in a crashed test flight who had bionic implants that gave him superhuman powers, which he used to serve as a secret agent for the U.S. Government. His next big role came withThe Fall Guy, but then he became simply a character actor.
Ash vs. Evil Dead (2016-2018)
Brock Williams
Hisbiggest role in recent years came in the second and third seasons ofAsh vs. Evil Dead. In this spinoff from Bruce Campbell’sThe Evil Deadmovie franchise, he played Brock Williams, Campbell’s Ash Williams' father. He also had cameos inFuller House, Magnum P.I.,and he had a small role in the crime thrillerRenegadesin 2022.
As for Heather Thomas, her acting career had come to an end before she agreed to cameo inThe Fall Guy. Her role in the TV version of the property was her biggest acting roles, and she ended up retiring from acting in 1998 after citing her fear of stalkers. She focused mostly on her family and became an author. Thomas released her first novel,Trophies, in 2008. She did come out of retirement in 2014 for a movie calledGirltrash: All Night Long, but that it since 1998 until herFall Guyappearance.
The Fall Guy
Cast
The Fall Guy is an action thriller from Bullet Train and Deadpool 2 director David Leitch. Ryan Gosling stars as a stuntman who is forced to find a missing movie star, investigate a conspiracy, and repair his relationship with the love of his life. The film was written by Drew Pearce and inspired by the 1980s TV series of the same name.
