Tell about yourself and your background! *
I’m 5’6, blond, was born in Myrtle Beach, I’m about to graduate from University at North Carolina at Asheville and I think fighting games are just neat.
What inspired you to become a stunt performer?
A love of making movies, the Devil May Cry series of video games and an appreciation for hard working and honest people. Stunts add a real tension and authenticity to whatever’s happening on screen on in a game and I’ve always wanted to be a part of that.
What is your greatest skill as a stunt performer, is there a stunt behind it?
I’ve got a theater background and love being a character actor. I can be a goon, a goblin, an old man, an annoying little kid, whatever you want. I love emoting with my body and voice and I feel it works really well for fight scenes. Deep down I know the viewer is gonna be dying to see the hero throw me down a flight of stairs or duplexed into a dumpster.
What is the best part about being a stunt performer?
Screaming like a high blood pressure goblin stuck in LA traffic. I love freaking out directors and other people on set with a blood curdling and authentic sounding screech after doing a stunt just to be like: “Yeah I’m all good boss.” If someone doesn’t ask me if I’m ok or if I’m hurt I feel like I did a bad job. Getting my fake emotions to illicit real reactions gives me life.
Tell your all-time favorite stunt story!
Last year, I had a close call doing a stunt. To set the scene, some friends and I were filming a movie late at night in my girlfriends basement. There’s a scene where I’m duct tapped to a plastic chair and have to wiggle around and fall over on my side. We cleaned and cleared the landing zone multiple times and did 3 takes. On the third take the chair broke and the crew and I burst out laughing. Now I was wearing a unique costume which had a powerful magnet near the top of my back which was for a sword. On that last take, a random sketchy looking fishing knife had attached itself to that magnet. No one had seen the knife before and we cleaned the landing zone multiple times so where it came from we had no idea. In all honesty, falling neck first onto a knife would be a pretty good way to go out but it scared the heck out of me and still does to this day.
What advice would you give other stunt performers?
Never stop learning, keep sharpening your skills, keep meeting people and stay in your lane on set. Do the job you’re there to do and don’t get in people’s way. Be friendly, stay cool and stay focused.
Anything else you'd like to tell the community about?
When I was doing my first fire burn, my pants fell down. I was on fire stumbling around with my pants around my ankles, it was hilarious.
Please share your social media handles and how we can follow you!
@dan.school for Instagram and @GrapplerDan for Twitter
Please include any links to stunt reels or videos you'd like to share!
