Letters to the Editor: I’m an assistant director who’s seen the magic of stunt workers. Give them an Oscar

To the editor: As an assistant director with more than 40 years of work in the movie and TV industry, I wholeheartedly endorse columnist LZ Granderson’s call to create an Academy Award for stunts and stunt persons.

The organization that puts on the Oscars is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and stunt work is a perfect (and dangerous) blend of both art and science. No one jumps off a five-story building, runs through fiery explosions or attempts to leap from a low-flying helicopter onto a speeding train without a thorough consideration of speed, distance and impact.

And, by the way, it has to look believable and exciting for the audience.

The stunt actors I have worked with are talented, dedicated and completely match my personal definition of true motion picture professionals. They prepare, rehearse and work efficiently and safely, they get it right the first time (often in situations where “take two” is not an option), and they immediately know what to do if things go wrong (such as as when a car going 70 mph suddenly loses its brakes).

Stunt people deserve more from the Academy. They deserve their own category and their own statuette.

Louis Race, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I respectfully disagree with Granderson’s plea for the Academy to award an Oscar for stunt work.

We go to the movies to escape, visit distant galaxies or peek in on a royal family. For the moment, we are led to believe that our favorite actors are the ones jumping off that bridge or fighting off invading aliens. From my point of view, emphasizing stunt doubles would be akin to magicians telling their audiences just how their tricks work before performing them.

The stunt community knows its best and brightest. Hopefully, its members are well-compensated for the risks they take to keep the magic alive. The fact that they work in relative anonymity is part of the job.

If I choose to believe that it is actually Harrison Ford jumping off that cliff, that will keep me coming back for more.

Stephen Lash, Carlsbad