“Jackie had to do all his own stunts because all his stunt doubles died trying to do them.” – Brad Freeman talking about Jackie Chan
Another look behind the scenes at the film and TV business.
During my years working as a scenic artist and signwriter for most of the major studios, I learned a lot about the other job classifications. Warner Brothers, Universal, Hollywood Pictures, Disney and numerous other production companies were among my employers.
There are some sho’ nuff unusual job positions, but there are two that stood out as a bit bizarre. The doubles.
Actors are people who make a living being other people, but body doubles and stunt doubles make a living pretending to be specific actors.
Body doubles? That’s easy work, but getting a job is mainly a matter of pure luck. The makeup artists are fantastic, but first you have to have been born looking somewhat like the actor. Same height, build, similar face and hair etc.
Why body doubles? Do you really think a nude or semi-nude Nicole Kidman can pass herself off as a nude or semi-nude character in her 30s? She’s 58 and has borne two biological children.
“Makeup artist” is a job title. “Magician” is not.
You might see a scene that has one of the main characters walking down a desert highway at sunset (usually from the back…helicopter shot). That is not Nicole.
That shot may have had a dozen takes for several hours in the hot sun.
An actor whose paycheck is $10-$20 million per film is not – I repeat NOT – going to be doing that
On the other end of the spectrum is the stunt double. Breaking your bones is often part of your work week. They are mad men. (And women!)
They also have to look kinda like their actor, at least from a certain angle, lighting and distance from the camera. But they will be getting punched and thrown around in a fight. Or fall off a multi-story building. Or roll off a car going 60 miles an hour. Or many other activities that hurt pretty badly.
My old boss Burt Reynolds was a stuntman for awhile when he was young and had injuries that plagued him his whole life. And allegedly put him into a bad cycle of pain medications too.
His pride as a former stuntman made him occasionally demand to do a stunt himself, foolishly in my opinion.
One freezing cold January morning I had to be on a set deep in the woods at 6:30 a.m. A helicopter with vinyl graphics on it was being used and I had to check it between takes in case something came loose. And cause it to crash. Best not to have that happen. If you can avoid it.
Mr. B had them strap him to the landing skids so that it looked like he was hanging on by his arms as it flew. Then, as the cameras rolled, it flew!
A 30 degree hurricane force wind from the helicopter (before wind chill) hit all of us on the ground, turning us into screaming icicles running for cover.
That thing shot up at least a hundred feet, then took off like a bat out of hell, climbing higher and higher before disappearing with a camera-mounted helicopter following. I heard later they had gone six or seven miles before coming back.
I, along with most of the crew, were wearing fairly heavy coats and gloves. Mr. B had on a nylon windbreaker and a Lactose polo shirt.
Say what you want, but the boss was no wuss.
Sometimes the stunt or body double can cause confusion.
In one episode of the same show, we had been shooting a football sequence at a high school in West Palm Beach, using their bleachers and field. It was late in the day, and light was getting scarce.
In a column from a few weeks ago, I talked about the great privilege of meeting and talking with the legendary Ossie Davis who played the cheerful sidekick in this show.
As I was leaving in that dim light, way down the sidewalk there was Ossie waving at me in a very animated and friendly way. He was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing on camera earlier in the day.
Wow, had I made a big impression on him or what!
I waved as we quickly walked towards each other. As we got closer under a street light, we came to a screeching stop and laughed like maniacs.
This was a guy named Terry, the body and stunt double that day for Ossie Davis.
And because I bore a similar look, dark hair, beard, green baseball hat, blue shirt, he thought that I was the DIRECTOR. He had wanted to know if he was needed on set the next day.
I told him sure, but I can’t pay you seein’ as how I’m the signpainter.
Thom Caraccio ([email protected]) is a retired musician and retired motion picture scenic artist living in West Palm Beach, Florida who hails from Columbus. He graduated from S.D. Lee High in 1968 and still considers Columbus his real hometown.
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