Tell about yourself and your background! *
I’m a former mma fighter. After I retired from the cage I missed the bat shit crazy in my life. I already worked in the film industry as an actor. One that always did their own action and got numerous roles due to my skill set however it didn’t feed the pure thrill I had for pushing myself on an athletic level. Acting was great and bits of action here and there were fun but I wasn’t fully fulfilled. So in January of 2017 I began training at a stunt facility on the Gold Coast in Australia. After I became graded later that year I had the opportunity to work on numerous productions and have met some very inspiring individuals. I now have the fulfilment I’ve been looking for as well as many other avenues to push myself, both mentally and physically. I’ve learned so much over the years and continue to do so and grow. I love my job. I love our industry.
What inspired you to become a stunt performer?
My inspiration was more internal rather than a specific person or action. I began fighting competitively at the age of 12. Turned pro at 18, then fought for a further ten years. I also bounced in nightclubs for 9 years so one way or another I always had a way of adrenaline affecting me and I became accustomed to it. I thrived on it. I have a very healthy respect for risky and volatile situations and learned to keep a cool head and work under pressure. The decision to move into the stunt industry for me felt incredibly organic and I feel very much at home doing what I do.
What is your greatest skill as a stunt performer, is there a stunt behind it?
I guess my greatest skill would be my fighting background. That and the physical conditioning that the martial arts gave me. I was programmed to always get back up so hard knocks in stunts we’re nothing mew to me.
What is the best part about being a stunt performer?
The best part of being a stunt performer for me is the zest for life that it brings. We’re big kids… we get paid to play. Oh…. And crafties…. Love crafties.
Tell your all-time favorite stunt story!
One of my favorite stories would be about a film I worked on with stunt coordinator Keir Beck and his team. One of the spots we filmed at was at the bottom of a mountain in the hinterlands of the Gold Coast. We had to physically hump gear down then up again every day for three days of shooting at this one particular location. That included hundreds of kilos of rigging gear, camera, lenses, sound etc. The scene was a mission and being someone who just loves nature and the outdoors I was very much in my element. The hike to location took about 50 mins down including some rope assisted descents and probably an hour or more up at the end of the day. Everyone was carrying something and each day I had about 30kg plus of gear attached to me. It was exhausting but damn it was fun. The rigging gear went down the first day and stayed. This was used for a rig that had the camera operator travelling along a river then over a waterfall about 15-20m high. I enjoyed having the opportunity to be the one to test the rig. At the end of the last day several trips had to be made to hump all the rigging gear back up. By the end of the last trip we were travelling in near pitch black with only head lamps. The location was magical and still being fairly new to stunts at the time, I had the opportunity to watch and learn from some very experienced people who I continue to look up to and admire now.
What advice would you give other stunt performers?
Be honest with yourself and others about your skills. Be patient. Train hard and stay humble. Network and always remember to be grateful and courteous of people’s teachings and time.
Anything else you'd like to tell the community about?
I love talking to and meeting new people. Feel free to reach out. I’m always keen for a chat.
Please share your social media handles and how we can follow you!
INSTAGRAM www.Instagram.com/chrisbridgewater Or @chrisbridgewater
New to TIKTOK @Chris.Bridgewater
Please include any links to stunt reels or videos you'd like to share!
Stunt reel: (although cutting a new one together)https://youtu.be/GEHjFCjnr8c
