Random Stunt Performers Share Their Behind-The-Scenes Secrets (23 items)

• (#1) He Has Been Injured Nearly 100 Times

  From Redditor /u/ NickMckinless:

  I have had full paralysis down my left side from a fall onto rocks (found out about 2 weeks later when I couldn't click the fingers on my left hand!).

  On Troy I was burned quite badly and hospitalised for 5 days then got a severe chest infection from such a worn out immune system which lasted for 4 months.

  I could list probably 100 injuries...my back is a mess, hips, feet, ankles, wrists...multiple concussions, whiplash on a consistent basis when doing wire work...it goes on...

  The job isn't for the faint hearted!
• (#2) She Almost Lost Her Eye

  From Redditor /u/ LauraDash:

  I worked on Halloween 4. In the the scene, Michael Myers is up on the roof, and Rachel is lowering Jamie (Danielle Harris)'s character off of it. At some point as the Rachel lowers Jamie, she drops the rope - it's supposed to be a rope - and I'm actually on a cable. The FX people are supposed to cut the cable and I fall like three feet and the sister falls off the roof (a high fall).

  When I was dropped, they cut the cable. When they cut it, the cable snapped and hit me in the face. And I had this whip-mark on my face, almost like if you got hit with a rock in the face. It came really, really close to my eye, but I'm very, very lucky I didn't lose my eye.

  It was very painful, and everyone was like "OMG! We're sorry, that wasn't supposed to happen!"
• (#3) He Showed A Little Too Much During A Blood-Soaked Fight Scene

  From Redditor /u/NickMckinless:

  I did a film called The Descent: Part 2. I was the big king Crawler at the end who had a fight with the three girls. I was basically naked, covered in prosthetics, ky jelly, and blood! I had a patch glued over my privates, and once I was wet and soaked it was see-through.

  So, I'm doing the fight and at one point I have to jump onto one of the lead actresses. I end up straddling her and she stops half way, looks at my balls which are now hanging out, looks back at me and says "Errr, you're showing"... Not my finest moment!
• (#4) Robert Downey Jr. Punched Him In The Face

  From Redditor /u/ NickMckinless:

  [About teaching actors to pull punches] We teach them right and they do the best they can under extreme pressure. They are not trained like us and yes, we do get hit. On Sherlock Holmes though the idea was to HIT full bore time and time again to get the opening sequence. RDJ is a trained Martial Artist and he really CAN HIT HARD!!!
• (#5) She Broke Her Back Filming 'Baseketball'

  From Redditor /u/ LauraDash:

  I worked on a movie called Basketball, it was the guys that did South Park, and the story are these guys are idols, and they have like a Make A Wish part in the story where they grant these kids a wish. So there's a simple scene where they grant this little kid his wish list to hangout with the Baseketball team, and they take him every place, and they take him at the end of the evening to this bar. So there's drinking, and the little boy gets onto the shoulders of Trey Parker, and he forgets that the kid is on his back as he goes out the doorway. So the gag is I'm supposed to hit my head on top of the door jam, and I'm supposed to fall back on a pad. And there was a stuntman doubling for Trey Parker so I was on the stuntman's shoulders, and there was supposed to be safety people outside the door, and when I hit my head, the stunt coordinator - the pad was supposed to be - it's a called a "Follow Pad" (well that's what he calls it), it's supposed to follow me wherever I land and then I land on the pad. And before we set up the shot and rehearsed it, I had asked the stunt coordinator "Does this pad fit in between the doorway" because sometimes you have to adjust it if it's too wide and he said "no, it fits perfectly." So we never actually rehearsed me falling. And there was no person outside the doorway with another pad or just in case. And the coordinator was like "i'm going to be there, follow you wherever you land" and I couldn't react to looking back or doing anything or moving to the side, it was just a straight back fall, kind of like in Jurassic Park, just straight back. And I ended up falling 3 feet outside the door, which then was a parking lot. And when he was realized I was going further out, the pad got stuck between the metal plates, so as he pushed it, it kind of stopped, so by that time i was down on the ground, I had asked him (the stunt coordinator) if I needed a gatorback (which is what motorcycle riders use to protect their backs) but i had a t-shirt on, so if I had worn one you would have seen the ripples. I had a little swimmers vest underneath, but the coordinator said "You don't need that, i will catch you." I still had it, but i fell on my back on the concrete...and I could move, but I was in excruciating pain, so they rushed me to the hospital, and I ended up breaking my L2. Broke my back.
• (#6) It's Tough To See Stunt Friends Get Hurt

  From Redditor /u/ NickMckinless:

  I love being a stuntman, and all I ever wanted was to be a working stuntman and have my peers say "Yeah, Nick's a good stuntman." That was it. I have a good career and it is moving forward.

  However, there is a dark side. It is very political and to a certain extent you have to play the game.

  But the worst thing is seeing your friends get hurt. I have friends in wheelchairs, colleagues without limbs, and others with career-ending injuries.

  It is a tough industry in more ways than one.
• (#7) Tom Cruise Lives Up To His Fearless Reputation

  From Redditor /u/ NickMckinless:

  Without a doubt the most willing and capable actor I have worked with (and there are many) is Tom Cruise. I worked with him on Edge of Tomorrow and although he had a full-time stunt-double (Chris Gordon) who rehearsed everything for Tom, Tom did 99% of the stunts on that film and on most others, too, and he is now over 50! The guy is driven like no one I have ever seen. Meticulous and brilliant.
• (#8) They Fall Back Onto Their Stunt Skills In Their Everyday Lives

  From Redditor /u/kellock71:

  I have saved myself numerous times falling over, tripping, and falling off my dirt bike. One time I was riding a bicycle to the auto parts store with a beer in one hand. I tried going off a curb, and the front wheel accidentally turned sideways, which sent me flying forwards.

  Luckily I was able to roll out of it and stand back up to take a sip... then I look over and there's an old man walking a dog staring at me. LOL.
• (#9) Falling From A Cliff Is Harder Than It Looks

  From Redditor /u/kellock71:

  The hardest stunts that don't get much credit I would say are the high falls. They aren't done as often in today's movies, but they're still there. Basically a stunt performer falls off a height into an air bag, could be coming out of a window or being thrown in a weird way. High falls are scary in general, and since the camera has to frame out the air bag, you don't get to see the full height as a viewer.

  High falls are also often under-estimated when the performer is doing a 'face-off,' which is where they're flying forwards and down (looking like they're about to face-plant the ground) but have to turn at the last second to hit the airbag with their back. Face-offs are hard because you're supposed to wait until the very last split second, so the camera doesn't see you start turning.

  And that is why there are high falls specialists today!
• (#10) Every Stunt Is A Team Effort

  From Redditor /u/ kellock71:

  Usually the stunt coordinator who hires the stunt performer has spent several days in pre-production planning the stunts, renting any equipment, designing the action, etc. So by the time I step on set, I will get an explanation on how the stunt is meant to go.

  Now, stunts range wildly in difficulty. Sometimes you get told to do stuff that there isn't really any 'right' way to do, except to just 'eat it' on a wreck. In that case, you put on all the pads you can and go for the ride. The last stunt I did like this was being thrown through a breakaway table from a fireman's carry on the shoulders of a 6'8" actor.

  Some stunts are more complex, like a wire gag where you have to do a flip in the air and land on someone's shoulders. In this case, we usually get to practice it several times in rehearsals, then again on the day of the shoot.

  And some stuff is pretty self-explanatory, like doing flips and fight scenes, in which case the coordinator just tells us what he wants to see. This is also why the stunt industry is built on trust and reputation, and you get jobs by word-of-mouth. We have to trust each other and in each other's abilities.
• (#11) They Sometimes Have Stunt Envy

  From Redditor /u/kellock71:

  In 22 Jump Street near the end, Channing Tatum's character jumps off a roof and grabs the leg of a helicopter. They then proceed to fly him around while 'holding on with one hand.'

  My friend Antal doubled Channing in that film and was telling me about how fun that was. Even though I don't like heights too much, I think that's the stunt that I wish I could have done! (Spoiler: they did it in pieces, and had a safety harness strapped on at all times)
• (#12) He Butted Heads With Kellen Lutz

  From Redditor /u/NickMckinless:

  Kellan Lutz. I did a movie in Indonesia called Java Heat, Kellan's first lead role. He thought he knew it all but soon realized, although a decent athlete, stunts is a different ball game.

  He was basically being rude to me one day on the roof. So when it came to do an eight-foot jump to concrete I decided to teach him a lesson. In front of the whole cast and crew I jumped up and said, "So you just jump off, roll and run off," making it look super easy and then whispering to him, "Your turn tough guy!"

  He stood up there looking all nervous and shaky but to his credit he did the jump, just not as easy and confidently. That earned his respect although my credits put his to shame and I shouldn't have had to do that. Nice kid in the end and he bought the whole crew presents.
• (#13) They Have To Know Their Limits

  From Redditor /u/ LauraDash:

  Yes, when I was working on Jurassic Park. I had worked with Spielberg before, and he's a perfectionist like most good directors. They were building the large tree where the car gets stuck. In the scene, the Jeep gets pushed over and the little boy is still in the Jeep and he's stuck up in the tree. I knew that at some point, the car falls, hits the trunk, stops, and they continue to climb down. Then at some point the car ends up falling on top of them as they get down. So the tree is over 20 feet and made out of metal, and it had hydraulics because the car had to be on hydraulics to be dropped. Knowing what my capabilities were, I didn't feel comfortable that I would be able to go as fast as was expected. So as we went through all the stunts in the movie, I spoke with the coordinator beforehand, I said 'I can do all the stunts required, I just don't feel comfortable doing this.' So for that week, they replaced me with another stunt person, and then I continued the rest of the movie.
• (#14) Grateful Actors Will Give Them Gifts

  From Redditor /u/ LauraDash:

  Every once in a while, a child or their parent will give me a little gift as a remembrance. On War of the Worlds, Dakota Fanning had me as a stunt double, along with a child stunt-double, a photo-double, and a stand-in. Because they can only work so many hours, producers sometimes would have the two stand-ins photo-double her as well. So we took a photo together, all four of us, all in costume. She also gave me a nice little remembrance book along with that photo and a nice little letter saying "Thank you for keeping me safe."

  Some kids will hand-make a sign, but it's usually nothing big. Just something thoughtful.
• (#15) She Had To Thread A Needle Between Two Boats

  From Redditor /u/ LauraDash:

  When I was working on Cop and a Half with Burt Reynolds, I did this stunt where we were in a little boat, and the two bad guys were chasing us in a boat. There were these two tugboats, and the idea was we go right in-between the two tugboats. As they passed, the other boats behind us can't make it through. We must have done it like 12 times, and the director kept saying "Closer! Closer!" On one of the takes, one of the tugboat captains said "I had to close my eyes on that one take because I was scared you guys wouldn't make it."
• (#16) Veteran Stunt People Don't Mess Around

  From Redditor /u/ kellock71:

  Old-school stuntmen are hardcore. They came up in a time when you had no choice, but just had to do the thing. That still exists today, and you won't make it far without a "Yes, I'll do that sir" attitude. But I feel like us up-and-comers have it way easier due to the use of CG and VFX which can help hide pads, wires, etc.
• (#17) Stunt People Still Take Hits Filming For CGI

  From Redditor /u/ kellock71:

  As far as stunt skills and CG. I haven't done much motion-capture work myself, but I have some friends that do it regularly. Basically, all CG still needs a 'controller,' which is a stunt performer in a motion-capture suit. Those guys spend a lot of time training to move like animals and creatures. A friend of mine doubled Mowgli in The Jungle Book. He said it was just months and months of green screen motion-capture work. When doing motion-capture, you get to fall on pads more often (because they're green), but you're in that suit cranking out takes all day.
• (#18) Movie Stars Aren't Always Prepared For Cable Work

  From Redditor /u/ LauraDash:

  When actors have to fly on wires, they don't have a clue of what it feels like. It's kind of painful in your crotch area, so they're often like "Oh my! OOOH!"
• (#19) He Separated His Shoulder In A Fight Scene

  From Redditor /u/ kellock71:

  I have been very fortunate so far (*knocks on wood) and have been able to do my job safely for the most part.

  The worst injury I've ever gotten from stunts was when I first moved out to LA. I made some other newbie stunt friends and a group of us (like 10 guys) decided to do an underground-style fight scene/short film. So we found a location, which was an under-construction parkour gym.

  The place where they were going to install the 'foam pit' was still empty and looked like a fighting pen, so we covered the floor in cardboard to make it look 'hard.' In retrospect, I wish we'd have put one-inch mats under all of the cardboard.

  Anyway, I was doing a move where I did a spin hook kick and my opponent came under and swept my leg out from under me, which sent me flying. I practiced it on a sprung floor perfectly, but my newbie brain forgot to realize I was now on concrete. I freaked out in the air and came straight down on my shoulder. It separated for a second, then went back to normal.

  I had to finish the fight scene though, so I was just wildly swinging my arm around. When I went home, I put it in a sling and iced it. I couldn't lift my arm past shoulder height for about a week, until I went to hot yoga for seven straight days. That stuff works miracles.

  Full movement is now restored in my shoulder (luckily) and it has been six years since that incident.
• (#20) Stunt People Sometimes Get Paid Per Hit

  From Redditor /u/ kellock71:

  Union day rate is $960-a-day, plus stunt adjustments. If it's a big wreck like a car hit, where you know you're going to get banged up and potentially concussed (though we do everything we can to avoid that), the stunt adjustments will range from $1,000 to $3,000 per hit.
• (#21) He Thought He Was Going To Be Trampled By Horses

  From Redditor /u/ NickMckinless:

  In Troy, after Brad Pitt speared me off a horse, 30-50 horses galloped past me. I was hoping that they would all miss trampling me! A few just clipped me. Car stunts are always pretty butt-clenching too!
• (#22) He Works Out Every Day To Stay In Shape

  From Redditor /u/ kellock71:

  My routine varies from week-to-week, because I'm constantly learning different skills. Some weeks I'm focused on fight choreography, others I'm rock climbing, and  others I'll be riding dirt bikes. Also, when I'm working, it's usually long hours (5 AM call times, etc.) so I don't get to train much. 

  I wake up around 6 AM (aiming to get it to 5 AM soon) and hop in a cold shower. That jolts my system awake, after which I meditate and write out my to-do list for the day. Then I do a morning workout, which is usually solo. After that, I do whatever work needs to be done for the day (computer work, sending resumes, making videos), then I do my afternoon training, which is either skill development or weightlifting (modified bodybuilding).

  MORNING WORKOUTS: In the morning I stick to some form of intense cardio/calisthenics workout. Sometimes I run the hills by my house, followed by a pushup/pullup/burpee circuit. Other days I will hit the gym and run on the treadmill, then row, then bike, then do some full body circuits with free weights.

  WEIGHT WORKOUTS: When I'm in a bodybuilding cycle (I usually go three-to-four weeks at a time, then take a break for a week), I will split my lifting into four days. Chest/Tris, Back/Bis, and Legs/Shoulders twice a day. I've been finding my lifting workouts too brutal recently since I was sore on the job, so I've started modifying them into full-body workouts that just focus on one of those groups slightly more than the other.

  SKILL DEVELOPMENT: For skill development, this ranges wildly depending on who is available to work out that day! I usually go to a gymnastics gym at least once a week to keep my tricking (flips, kicks, twists) skills sharp. There are several fight choreography groups that train every week, so I'll hit them up. If my rock climbing buddy is available, we will hit up our favorite spots near Santa Monica, and I'm currently looking for people to start training in tactical movement

  MARTIAL ARTS: Thought I'd add this, too! My background is in competitive Judo (seven years) and Tae Kwon Do (four years) but since I moved to LA I've been focusing on training fight choreography, which molds several styles together. Recently my friend Justin Gant (he's also in my tutorials) and I started training in Jeet Kune Do, and so we'll do that twice a week!

  My training feels all over the place, but the wake-up times, cold showers, and training twice per day stays consistent!
• (#23) Even Simple Stunts Come With Huge Risks

  From Redditor /u/ kellock71:

  You can always fall the wrong way and break something...Breaking through glass can be dangerous if you don't go at the right angle, or if you land wrong.

  Also, you may have heard recently about the stuntman tragedy on the Walking Dead.. that should have been a simple fall (20 feet is nothing), but the pad was a few inches off.

  We get paid to take risks, and our job is to treat every stunt like the biggest one.. the most dangerous thing for a stuntman is to become "complacent" in their thinking, and overlook something

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