Action Stunts

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 scene—and 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 bus—a 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 end—all 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 scenes—but 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 daredevils—it’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 conditions—an 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…)