Interview: Vic Armstrong talks about being the world’s greatest stuntman!

Vic Armstrong is a name you may not be familiar with, but you’re sure to have seen his work. Armstrong has been a stunt coordinator and unit director, and as such, has overseen and directed countless famous action sequences, such as those from WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005) and STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997). He has also worked extensively as a stunt performer, doubling up for such iconic characters as Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Superman. Armstrong has had a long and varied career within the industry, from his early days as stunt double in ARABESQUE (1966) and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967) to the current THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012) production.

The Hollywood News was fortunate enough to have caught up the Oscar and BAFTA winning Vic Armstrong, just as he is set to reveal all in his autobiography THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST STUNTMAN.

THN: You’ve worked on a great number of films, but is there one in particular that made your name as a top performer within the industry?

Vic On The Set Of Raiders (1981)

VA: I was so lucky to be around when all these films were kicking off, – y’ know, Superman, the Indiana Jones movies. Everybody loves a big movie. I always said that you do some of your best work on the smaller movies, but they all add to your prestige

THN: Is there a film of which you’re particularly proud or a favourite of yours?

VA: Indiana Jones is just wonderful. I’m really proud of that. It raised the bar for action and I think they’ll last forever. The first three are wonderful. Then, Superman was groundbreaking in its day, with all the flying. The Bonds of course… starting off as a stuntman on You Only Live Twice and ending up directing huge sequences. That’s a great thing and I’m very proud of it. I’m very proud of the boat chase from The World is Not Enough, which is a wonderful sequence.

THN: What is the most satisfying aspect of working as a stuntman or coordinator?

VA: The greatest fun is the creativity and originality. Every golf course is 18 holes with so many par fours and so many par threes. The lay of the land all has its own character, and I like to think of that in terms of action, let the location suggest what’s going to happen. We know what we need story-wise out of a sequence but the actual turn of events will be dictated by the location. In the end, coming up with something original is very satisfying.

THN: As a stunt performer or coordinator, do you feel a sense of responsibility for the finished product?

Absolutely. I’m responsible for the budget, for the stories, for employing the people, the safety of the people, and the shooting of the film. But at the end of the day, all that matters is whether Joe Public is going to like it – is it going to be good? For instance, with Spider-Man, we’ve done some groundbreaking stuff and we just hope the public like it. It’s always nerve-wracking.

THN: Have there been any stunts that have been particularly daunting? Or scenarios that you’ve refused to take part in due to levels of danger?

VA: No, because I always say anything can be done, it’s just how you achieve it. There’s always an alternative and you should always offer an alternative. It’s no good saying ‘nope, you can’t do that mate’ – you have to say ‘well we can’t do that… but what we can do is this, this, and this’ – and that’s all part of the politics and what you learn over the years.

THN: You’ve doubled for a wide range of famous characters, such as Indy, James Bond, and Superman, are there any iconic movie characters you wish you’d had the chance to play?

Vic With Sly On The Set Of Rambo III (1988)

VA: I was offered The Fugitive with Harrison, but at the same time I was offered a film to direct – the second Greystoke – which didn’t get made in the finish, but by then I’d turned down The Fugitive. So I’ve always regretted that. But I’ve always been happy with the films I’ve done.

THN: Are there any particular actors you would like to have worked with? Or any directors that haven’t had chance to work with so far?

VA: I would have liked to work with Kurosawa – I’m a great fan of his work.  But I’ve worked all around the world with all different people, and I’m very happy with the way it’s panned out actually.

THN: From over the years, have there been actors who were forthcoming in performing their stunts?

VA: Always, and there are more and more nowadays. There’s Harrison Ford obviously, he was always like that… and it’s not the fact they want to do their own stunts if it’s safe, it’s that they want to portray their character as much as they can. I understand their point of view, but then at the same time, working on a fifty-million dollar movie, if that actor gets hurt… but then, there’s the professional side of it – sometimes a stuntman can do that piece of action better than the actor, sometimes there’s no way you’d ever recognise the actor or stuntman, so there’s no point in taking that risk. Having said that, with modern technology we can take what appear to be more risks, but in fact they’re safer. People like Tom Cruise always want to do their own stunts, so we can design the action around what he wants so he can do it. But sometimes you have to be the bad man and say ‘no you can’t do it, it’s not practical, or it’s too dangerous’.

THN: You’ve worked extensively as stunt coordinator over the years. Can you explain a little about the process?

VA: A stunt coordinator is like a project manager – I’m employed by the producer or director to choreograph stunts for them. I look at the stunts, suggest stunts, write stunts, and break those stunts down into how you’re going to shoot them. I talk to various departments – from the construction to the art department and the special effects. All the little pieces need to be built three months in advance into the sets, and then you hire the stunt people. Depending on the stunts you might have two or three people for only one actor or sequence. Then you film it, rehearse it and show it to the director and so on and so forth, and then you’ll be on the set when they’re shooting it, checking for safety, the timing, and the camera angles. It’s a very involved and creative job

THN: How has the rise in CGI and digital effects impacted stunt work? Has is affected the need for stunt performers?

VA: It’s been talked about for so long now… personally, I love it. I think it’s a great tool and when correctly used it’s wonderful. It’s like morphine, which is a fantastic drug when used correctly, but if you overuse it you get addicted to it and it’s a terrible drug – it’s a killer. You just apply that to the movies: used correctly it’s a ‘get out of jail free card’.

THN: Have you considered taking up directing again?

VA: I’ve been offered a few things, but I don’t want to do something that’s going straight to video. I’d rather do action units on big movies. But if the right film came along… I was offered some things in India. They like me in India, they like the Western action, so they call for advice and things like that.

THN: Of the movies you didn’t work on, what action sequences/stunt work has impressed you over the years?

VA: I loved True Lies, which was a tremendous action film, and one I’d love to have worked on. There’s lots of stuff out there I’ve been impressed with – The Fugitive for instance.

THN: Can you tell us anything about the upcoming Spider-Man?

VA: I’m very impressed actually. It’s all wrapped and packed now. Our approach on it was back-to-basics and reality. We had to come up with some ideas on flying. There’s a lot of physical action in it, and though we use CG in various areas as an assist, all the flying and everything like that – unless it’s really technically impossible – it’ll be all human flying. I did some stuff a few weeks ago on 12^th Avenue in New York, and you see Spider-Man flying down under this huge flyover and it looks tremendous – you can see the G-force on his body as he changes direction. There’s an organic reality to it that you don’t get with CG. I think you distance yourself and close off when you realise ‘ok it’s a cartoon, it’s not real’.

THN: What advice would give to anyone looking to break into stunt work?

VA: Get one specialty – riding a horse or standing on one hand – whatever it is, push your specialty. When you make a movie, you don’t want somebody who’s average, you want someone who’s above and beyond the call of duty. Whatever you do in the movies, there’s always an edge to it – it’s never straightforward. You have to have tremendous ability, and once you have the ability, you have confidence, then you can think clinically about what you’re doing.  If somebody’s not very good at their job and they’re nervous, they become unglued when the going gets rough. Really persevere at the one thing that you’re good at, learn other things obviously, but that’s the one that’s going to get you inside.

The True Adventures Of The World’s Greatest Stuntman is available now from Titan Books