How to be a ‘Fall Guy’: Stunt performers on their rough-and-tumble life
There are two things to keep in mind while being burned alive for a movie scene.
The first, says stunt performer Ben Jenkin, is not to breathe in a flame. That would be bad. Jenkin was reminded of that over and over before doing his first fire burn (and then seven more) in David Leitch’s “The Fall Guy,” an action extravaganza that affectionately celebrates the rough-and-tumble lives of stunt performers.
The other thing: Keep moving.
“Moving forward and keeping the fire behind you allows you to breathe and to control the fire,” Jenkin says. “Movement is your friend.”
That would make a decent slogan for stunt performers who have, since the early days of , fueled the mayhem of movies. Since at least when the facade of a house fell around in “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” (stillness can also be your friend when it comes to stunts), stunt performers have played a vital role
