Tell about yourself, Xavier!
I’m Xavier Luo, a Kung-Fu Martial Artist from Miami, FL - now living in Atlanta, GA. I grew up watching Chinese Martial Arts cinemas from Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Gordon Liu, Donnie Yen... and from the Shaw Brothers to Golden Harvest films.
What inspired you to become a stunt person?
As I grew up I wanted to be exactly like Jackie Chan wanted to learn strictly Kung-Fu. I wanted to flip and wanted to do stunts. At the time I was young I didn’t know about stunts but I would intimidate Jackie movements. As it brings me today, a stuntman, thanks to Jackie Chan.
What is your greatest skill as a stunt performer, is there a story behind it?
As of right now my greatest skill I would say is fighting and stunt falls. As I want to be well rounded and learning to work with other types of stunts - fighting is my best skill as a performer.
What is the best part about being a stunt performer?
The best part of being a performer is that you get to somewhat be a kid again, you can be a character that’s not you, you get to create action that will entertain the audience. Just like when you were a kid you'd play cops and robbers with your friends - but now do it as career. Just showcasing your skill and putting it out to show what you’ve been training for so long. Hard work pays off.
What advice would you give other stunt people?
My advice to future stunt performers is to always keep creating. Never stop, don’t let people change your mind or tell you that you can’t do something. Keep creating because the only way to get better is to learn from your mistakes and get better.
There’s always room for improvement. You’re not going to be great right from the beginning, you have to build your way up. There are always going to be hard times but don’t get discouraged, either try again or take a different approach. Stay consistent, keep pushing.
