Action Stunts

When most people think of stunt men (or women) their minds usually rush straight to Hollywood, thinking the involvement is due to the filming of a major blockbuster that will soon be seen on either the big screen or other avenues like Direct TV deals. But that’s not always the case as evidenced by Broadway’s production of Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark. Yes, you read that right Broadway’s’ production of Spider Man. It seems that the musical version of the hit film has been wrought with stunt man woes that could rival anything out of the Hollywood hills. The show actually had to be cancelled when a stunt double fell 30-feet and plunged into a stage pit after his safety tether that clips to his back failed to perform. Fortunately the stunt double, Christopher W. Tierney, is also a dancer and was reported to have “landed on his feet” by his brother Patrick Tierney. The accident happened during the show’s big finale, when the Green Goblin drops Mary Jane and Spider-Man leaps to her rescue, but in this case the tethering to cut his fall failed and Tierney “just kept falling” according to Bryan Lynch, an audience member who witnessed the fall. The stuntman underwent back surgery and is expected to make a complete recovery partially due to his “strong body and an amazing attitude” according to his brother.

Anyone who’s seen Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof knows how traumatic and important the job of a stuntwoman can be. All the stunts were real in that movie, and the cars were really going that fast, and who knows what was going through the mind of the stuntwoman on the car. The stuntwoman, Zoe Bell, was actually playing herself. This is an interesting movie because it shows how the career of a stuntwoman can also be used as a plot device in a movie. Whatever the case, being a stuntwoman has its perks. But how do (more…)

One only has to watch an action movie to realize that working in Hollywood can be a dangerous profession. Movie characters fall from buildings, jump out of moving vehicles, and dodge exploding bombs on a daily basis. Many actors pride themselves on doing their own stunts, but others prefer to leave the dangerous stuff to their trusty stunt doubles.

With the youngest stunt performers in their late teens and the oldest near ninety there is a wide range of people looking for danger. Of course the stunt industry isn’t limited to movies. Many stunt people get their start as (more…)

We’re supplying this with a full disclaimer that we’re not advocating drinking (well, at least not to excess), but we also felt we just had to include this recipe for a Tequila Stuntman since enjoying one might just hinder enough inhibition for even the most timid of a stuntman want-to-be to get the courage up to make the first step (or stumble, as the case might be) into his new profession.Even if you don’t actually land a job as a stuntman after drinking this, we hope you’ll land on your feet so you can brag that you have legitimately taken on a stuntman performance.Consider yourself warned; and as always, please enjoy responsibly.

Tequila Stuntman

• 2 ounces top shelf tequila
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 wedge of lemon (wedge, not a slice)

Directions:

1. Pour tequila in a shot glass
2. Line up salt on the back of your hand
3. Pinch off one nostril with your fingers and snort (inhale) the salt with the other nostril
4. Immediately down the shot of tequila
5. Hold one eye open with one hand, grab the lemon wedge with the other, and immediately squeeze it into the eye being held open

Stuff: Yep, it’s going to sting a little, but the blending of the three flavors through the various glands is said to produce a sensation that one doesn’t soon forget. Also, you should probably blow your nose shortly after doing this to remove salt residue from the nasal area.

We had an earlier entry about stunt doubles, and so it seems somewhat fitting that we also include a few words on body doubles since the act of finding a perfect “double” for a body can very often seem stunt-like in its endeavor. As an example, body double Alisa Hensley has “stood in” for actresses Charlize Theron, Cameron Diaz and Nicole Kidman at different times. And get this. Hensley also acts as a stunt double having used her sculpted muscle by standing in for the female terminator in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. That’s what you truly call pulling double duty. Another noteworthy body double is Donna Scoggiins who shot to notoriety when her legs (and more) were used as a stand in for Julia Roberts’ in Pretty Woman. The use of body doubles is so rampant in Hollywood that film director Brian De Palma brought it to the forefront in the film by the same name in 1984 starring Melanie Griffith. The film picked up a sort of cult following as evidenced by (more…)

What does every action packed-car flipping-fire burning-gun shooting-building jumping scene have in common? The answer: a highly trained stuntman risking his or life in place of your favorite actor/actress. These stuntmen have years of experience and training behind them. To become a successful stuntman (or woman), you’ll want to follow these simple tips:

1. Get connected: The best way to form connections in the world of Hollywood is to hire an agent. Your agent can hook you up with a stunt coordinator who casts stunt doubles, choreographs stunts, and fulfils the director’s creative vision. Directors usually hire the same stunt coordinators, and stunt coordinators tend to use the same talented stuntmen, so getting a good word in with a stunt coordinator is a surefire way to make it into a movie. (more…)

Forget the stunt doubles, these actors prefer to do their own tricks during filming. They put their lives in harm’s way for the sake of an awesome sceneand we love them for it.

1. Daniel Craig as Bond, James Bond: When Craig was cast in Quantum of Solace in 2008, he was faced with performing most of his own stunts. The mother of these stunts was a leap from a three-story building onto a moving busa big feat for someone with a fear of heights. Had Craig missed his cue or jumped too soon the auditions for the James Bond role would have reopened.
2. Matt Damon as Jason Bourne: The star of the Bourne trilogy (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum) also does most of his own stunts. Despite his fear of drowning, he was in multiple scenes in the water and a scene where he jumps off of a bridge. Damon also performed in all of the car crash stunts of the series. (more…)

Before computer imaging technology took care of all the crazy stunts for the actors, daredevil stuntmen completed the dangerous stunts that made for one heck of a viewing experience. Here are the top 10 highest rated movie stunts of all time.

1. GoldenEye (1995): James Bond’s character, played by Pierce Brosnan with the help of stuntman extraordinaire Wayne Michaels, opens the film by bungee jumping 750 feet off of a Switzerland dam. The longest jump of all time, Michaels managed to execute it flawlessly and shoot a piton gun at the endall in one take.
2. Ben Hur (1959): During the famous chariot race, Charlton Heston’s stunt double Joe Canutt is thrown from the front of his chariot and manages to cling on and climb back up. The final stunt was completely unplanned, making it even more nerve racking and crazy to watch. (more…)

During the movies, you may hold your breath and bite your nails during all the action scenesbut you know everything on screen is all planned and not real. Filming these scenes, however, is another story. Dangerous stunts require intense planning and careful execution. Unfortunately, all the planning in the world can’t prevent some stunts from going awry. For example

• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Daniel Radcliffe (who plays Harry), partakes in multiple broom riding scenes. During one of the flying sequences, an explosion knocked Radcliff’s stunt double to the ground, causing him to lose the feeling in his legs.
• While filming Nicholas Cage’s new movie The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a stunt driver lost control of a speeding Ferrari in Times Square and careened directly into a pizza parlor. Two bystanders were injured, but the driver was unscathed. (more…)

The typical movie watcher thinks of stuntmen as daredevils with dream jobs. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in the stunt industry, you should know it is not for daredevilsit’s for performers. Becoming a stuntman takes a great deal of hard work, training, and connections. It is recommended you become an actor who can perform stunts rather than a standalone stuntman. Before pursuing such a job, you should know that the hours are long, the pay is unstable, and the safety is limited. Work days commonly last up to 14 hours due to the need for impeccable planning, detailed setups, and careful filming. Moreover these 14 hours are often spent in less than optimal conditionsan icy mountain, a hot desert, submerged in water, or surrounded by fire. As far as location goes, stuntmen go where the movies go: everywhere. (more…)