Tell about yourself and your background! *
My parents moved to Los Angeles from Virginia just before I was born because my father wanted to be a director. My dad was a contractor and mom a real estate agent. After about a year of struggling to get established in L.A. and taking care of my 2 year old brother and I, my parents began to consider moving back to Virginia. Not long after that my mom won the showcase on the Price is Right and they used the money to get back home. I was raised in Roanoke, Virginia for the rest of my childhood and lived there until I was 24 yrs old.I was always athletic and began weight training at 15 yrs old, I still do regularly today and have competed in powerlifting and bodybuilding. In High school I ran track through middle and high school and wrestled my freshman year. My teammates were twins Tiki and Ronde Barber, the NFL superstars who both made it to the Superbowl.After graduating from high school I attended Virginia Western Community College where I earned an Associate Degree in General Studies. I then began attending Radford University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. I wanted to study something I was interested in so I could fall back on my education while I pursued an entertainment career. After I graduated from Radford I moved to Wilmington, N.C. to do my internship and be closer to entertainment work. Wilmington was a popular filming location at the time and I didn't have the nerve yet to move across the country to Los Angeles. I started taking acting classes in Wilmington and met some local stunt people to train with. Eventually Los Angeles came calling and I moved here almost 20 years ago. I wanted to do stunts and act when I came to L.A. but I didn't know how to get into the stunt community. There were many acting schools so I instead concentrated on that. For the next several years I earned most of my living as a personal trainer while I auditioned for acting jobs and studied in various acting classes, I even did a couple of plays and was a stand up comic for about a year. I auditioned hundreds of times and booked roles here and there but it was nothing to make a living at. I decided I should really concentrate on stunts to see if I could figure out how to get into that world. I approached my commercial agent and told him I had always wanted to be a stuntman and if he could send me on commercial auditions involving stunts. He told me a lot of people say that and he didn't take me serious. I went home and called my brother who is a camera guy and asked if he could shoot me doing parkour type moves at a park the next day. He agreed and put me on video jumping, flipping and climbing various obstacles. I showed it to my agent and he asked me why didn't I tell him I could do these things lol...he began sending me out on stunt auditions and that's how my stunt career began.
What inspired you to become a stunt performer?
Watching Dukes of Hazzard when I was a kid with my dad. My dad would always talk about the stuntmen on the show jumping the General Lee. I thought they were like superheroes.
What is your greatest skill as a stunt performer, is there a stunt behind it?
Many stunt people fall into the job (pun intended) because of some special skill they have such as being a world class gymnast or racing champion. Others like myself just wanted to be a stunt performer. I knew that not being an expert at any one skill meant I had to train at all of it. My greatest skill is being well rounded and naturally athletic but also honest.
What is the best part about being a stunt performer?
It's a dream fulfilled for me. I wanted to be a stuntman when I was 10 yrs. old and here I am!
Tell your all-time favorite stunt story!
I was doing a stairfall and an A list actress was at the top of the stairs with me. She started asking me questions just before action was called because she was very concerned about me falling down 15 stairs. She said have you ever done this before!? And are you going to be Ok? I assured her and told her I was wearing pads. She said but your head doesn't have any pads on it?! She also asked how old I was and said she would feel much better if I were in my 20's. I said me too!It was quite the opposite of a pep talk but I did the stunt and everything went well despite her and my growing concerns.
What advice would you give other stunt performers?
I always tell new people the same two rules: Never forget why you're here and be available 24/7. Many people get "real" jobs but it often interferes with their progress in the entertainment business. If you can figure out how to pay your bills and always be available you'll have half of your competition beat already. Remember, you can get a "real" job anywhere!
Please share your social media handles and how we can follow you!
Instagram @erictsweeney
Please include any links to stunt reels or videos you'd like to share!
My stunt reel hasn't been updated in about 5 years but here is the link on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkjqGcxYOYQ
