An ex-stuntman who helped create the John Wick films, along with some of the most iconic action movies of the last 15 years, has revealed the ‘hidden secret’ behind the profession.
David Leitch started out his career in film as a stunt performer, and worked his way up to the point where he has directed some of the biggest blockbusters around.
Leitch actually co-directed the first John Wick film as well as co-creating it with Chad Stahelski, but guild rules dictated that Stahelski got the credit, with Leitch receiving a producing credit.
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He went on to direct Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train, and most recently, Fall Guy, an ode to stunt-men.
Back in the day though, Leitch did stunts for films as varied as The Matrix trilogy, where he worked with Keanu Reeves, Mr and Mrs Smith, Fight Club, and shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
In an interview for his new stunt-focused documentary series, Action, Leitch said of the stunt profession: “One thing I [wish people] knew is that [stunt performers] actually live very relatable lives.
“People think they're all daredevils or crazy or they're all attention seekers or have a death wish, but really they're athletes, they're performers.
“They have, again, really relatable lives with families that and those real life stakes that anyone can identify with.”
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The director and former stunt performer has said that he is currently working on adding a stunt category at the Oscars.
He said: “I think there's a real strong belief and support for an Academy Award for stunt design, and that it is a legacy of cinema and it should be recognized.
“It's an art and a science. We've had initial conversations with the awards committee.
“We will have to go to them formally to get the approval to go to the board. So that stuff's all happening.
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“I think in the first time in a long time, we've seen momentum, but the Academy moves at the way the Academy moves.
“They have a lot of agenda pieces always floating around but I do think there's an award coming, and fingers crossed, there's so much support inside, outside.”
Leitch has stated in interviews that, rather than celebrating one-off crazy stunts, he would hope it would be for the design of the stunts in the film as a whole.
He said on the Toolkit podcast: "We’ve always been in the shadows, [but] that’s not the problem.
"That was maybe the misconception for the Academy, ‘Well, these guys want awards because they want recognition for these one-off stunts.’ That’s not it.
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"The recognition that we want is [our] artistic contribution to the movie. So if you look at Ben Hur, what is Ben Hur without the chariot [races]? It’s not anything.
Available exclusively on LG Channels, adrenaline-fuelled docuseries Action, follows the 87North stunt team and reveals the captivating stories of ordinary individuals drawn to the electrifying world of action sports, martial arts, motor-cross and more. Available exclusively via webOS on LG TVs, LG Channels gives viewers access to 1,000s of films and TV series on-demand for free
Topics: John Wick, Oscars, Film, TV and Film
Michael Slavin