Ray Winstone wants the BAFTAs to recognise stunt performers

Ray Winstone wants stunt performers to be officially recognised at the BAFTAs.

The 65-year-old actor and independent filmmaker Jon Spira have sent an open letter to BAFTA in which they call for stunt performers to be officially recognised at the awards ceremony.

Ray - who has starred in a number of action movies during his career, including ‘Indiana Jones’ and Marvel’s ‘Black Widow' - said: "I am totally shocked that these brilliant stunt performers are not recognised by BAFTA for their amazing work and how important these men and women are to our industry."

The BAFTAs have never officially recognised the talent and contributions of stunt teams. However, there are awards for other behind-the-scenes crew members, with categories such as Best Costume Design and Best Sound.

Jon thinks BAFTA now needs to recognise the hard work and talents of stunt performers.

He said: "These are the performers who gave the thrills to the audiences of ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Indiana Jones,’ ‘Aliens,’ and countless more. On home turf they were even more significant because they are the people who created and performed the action of 'James Bond', arguably our most enduring contribution to global cinema. And let’s be honest, what’s a 007 film without the stunts?

"The one question I have been asked by almost everybody who has worked on the film, promoted the film and, now, seen the film is a simple one: Why is there no BAFTA award for stunts?"

Meanwhile, Ray previously admitted he loves making movies in Britain.

The actor explained that making big-budget films is a lot more time-consuming.

He said: "I love working at home. It just seems to work that way. It’s the quickness of working. There’s no time to relax. You’re on it and you’re in the mindset the whole time. When you make a big-budget studio film, there’s so much baggage.

"The actual film is the pleasure; you get paid for the waiting time. And by the time you come to do your bit, you’re usually knackered."