come off the front of the van instead of the side. I was relying on some vital information from my friend telling me how far to jump and which angle to come in from, so that was scary.
Who has been the greatest pioneer for you in terms of stunt work? To be honest, my two bosses Brad Allen and Peng Zhang. They are the greatest teachers I could have ever hoped to be put with. Just being with them and learning from them is amazing. Both are, in my opinion, two of the best guys in the world.
He’s kicked ass in Kick-Ass…
Every young boisterous male worth his salt has, at some point, wanted to be a stuntman. After trying a fifteen- foot parkour-style jump and then sustaining a tremendously painful sprained ankle only to be floored by extreme embarrassment as my friends doubled up with laughter, I then decided that it wasn’t for me.
However, Enter the Battle at the Indigo on the 28th of November, sees one of the UK’s most wanted stuntman, Damien Walters, live. He’ll be performing stunts and showing us wannabe saps how to be a real alpha-male stuntman. Get in there!
You’re a gymnast by profession. Did you get teased a lot because it’s not perceived as the most masculine profession? To be honest, it was the opposite. I was always favoured as I was the person that everyone wanted to see do flips and things. I was always a very sporty person anyway, so I was in all the other sports teams like football and basketball and so on.
Being a stuntman is every boy’s dream. How did you get into it? About four years ago, I got a phone call from Brad Allen (Jackie Chan’s lead stunt coordinator). He asked if I was interested in doing a movie with him as he needed a tumbler to start filming in Budapest. From there, he said he liked the way I worked and asked me to be part of the team. It’s all built up from there, really.
0
Damien Walters
I imagine the training must be pretty difficult. What’s it like? Well, to be a stuntman you really do need to widen your skill level. I was hired for my gymnastics skills, but to be in this business you can’t rely on one thing. Whether it be martial arts, high falls, car hits or riding motor bikes, there is always something you can get better at and the more effort you put in, the better and more rounded you will become.
You won the 2010 stuntman’s awards. What was that like? I won the award for best fight scene and I was also nominated for the hardest hit – so it was a huge honour for me, as the stuntmen all vote.
You have been in two massive Hollywood productions to date. What else have you been in? I’m currently on my seventh movie. I’ve done Hellboy 2, Ninja Assassin, Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim.
It must be endless fun? It is a little strange when you first start work, but once you settle in it’s like any normal job, really. You work hard and then go home, but I must admit it can be pretty cool.
What do you think has been the scariest stunt that you have had to do? Did you injure yourself? The scariest thing was probably jumping through the window onto the Van in Ninja Assassin. The director changed his mind and wanted me to
06
www.flavourmag.co.uk
Now Arnie, Sly and Willis are all collecting their Freedom passes who’d you really like to work with? I actually have no idea to be honest, but I have just finished coaching Will Smith’s son Jayden gymnastics which was a pretty surreal gig.
What’s on your iPod before going into a stunt? Eye of the Tiger? Well, I do listen to all kinds of music, but when I’m training I like dub-step, drum and bass or house, but I might pop Eye of the Tiger on next time.
What initially made you get involved in Enter the Battle? I was asked by the organizers to appear and after being told all about it, I thought it sounded great to give people who have massive talent in this country a stage to perform.
“I’ve been coaching Will Smith’s son Jaden at gymnastics”
What can audience members expect to see at the event? I am sure they will see something they have never experienced before. I know there are a lot of guys with a great deal of talent who have been waiting for this opportunity to show the public what they can do.
What are your plans for 2011? Are there any big films you will be in? There is Blitz (a Jason Statham movie coming out next year), Eagle (a Channing Tatum movie) coming out next year and I Am Number 4 (a Steven Spielberg movie) coming out next year which is going to have some great scenes. Currently I am working on a superhero movie called Captain America which is due to finish shooting in December.
What’s the best way for somebody to break into your line of work? The way I see it is pretty simple. If you work hard at whatever you want to be you will eventually succeed.
www.enterthebattle.co.uk
Interview by Semper Azeez-Harris
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64