One of the most dangerous jobs in Hollywood is also one of the most overlooked by the general public.
Stunt performers are trained professionals who do physically demanding tricks, such as martial arts, extreme driving or even jumping off buildings as a stand-in for star actors that can’t do the job. Despite being a crucial part of many movies, especially action-packed ones, they are essentially invisible to the public eye. In honor of the Oscars this month, here is an inside look at the hidden part of the big screen: the stunt doubles who flip, jump and overall risk their lives for the sake of Hollywood.
First of all, how does someone become a stunt performer? Unlike some jobs, there is really no direct path to being a stunt double. After all, no college has a “stunt performer” major. Thus, most people in the stunt performing industry start out just by developing a range of physical skills, such as rock climbing, martial arts, and scuba diving. Some people also learn by being an apprentice to a more experienced stunt performer.
The next, and toughest, part is actually finding a stunt performing job. All stunt people are required to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild, a union that oversees all performers on the big screen. This is a challenge in and of itself, because getting a membership requires having some experience as an extra on-camera. Afterwards, it’s a game of constant hustle and luck. Similar to actors themselves, aspiring stunt performers need to have the right looks and skills to be hired by a stunt coordinator for a movie.
So after a stunt performer gets the job, what is it like?
To start, extremely dangerous—to the point of being fatal. In 2017, stuntman John Bernecker died while working on the set of The Walking Dead after losing his balance and falling more than 30 feet onto concrete. That same year, stunt driver Joi Harris died doing a motorcycle stunt while on the set of Deadpool 2. It was her first ever film, and she was previously one of the first black professional road racers.
Despite this, stunt performing now is a lot safer than it was several decades ago. Especially with the rise of technology, computer-generated imagery (CGI) has allowed movies to make tricks and stunts slightly safer. However, CGI can’t fully capture the authenticity of an actual person fighting, jumping off a building or extreme driving, so it is still a very unpredictable and risky career.
For women, the job has extra challenges as well. In an interview with The New York Times, Joni Avery, who has performed stunts for movies such as Planet of the Apes, The Prestige and Species, said men were typically paid more because it was such a male-dominated industry. In fact, sometimes when actresses require a stunt double, a man is hired to do the tricks while wearing a wig and skirt. This meant that many women were also afraid to say no when asked to do an especially dangerous stunt, because they didn’t know if they would get the opportunity to do another stunt job.
While Avery was train jumping on the set of Broken Arrow, she hit the side of one and almost got run over. It was then that she switched to being a stunt coordinator, not a performer. “I thought: ‘Is this what my life is worth? I want to raise my son,’” she said in the interview.
Despite everything, there are many stunt performers who find the job very rewarding. Lisa Hoyle, who has doubled for Angelina Jolie in Cyborg 2 and Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean, said in an interview, “The field has gotten more competitive, but there’s nothing else I’d rather do. It’s the best job in the world.”
Without the hard work of stunt performers, many of the thrilling, adrenaline-pumping tricks we see in movies wouldn’t be a reality. Not only is the job extremely dangerous, but there is also a level of complexity when it comes to getting the job and working as a woman in the industry. While the Oscars will mainly be celebrating actors and directors, stunt performers should be honored too for the integral part they play in the production of a movie. This awards season, take the time to appreciate these stunt doubles, especially when you see them, flipping, jumping or driving on the screen in front of you.