You don’t get jobs by sending a resume. You get them by saying, “I can take a baseball bat to the ribs without crying” to a guy named Dave at a climbing gym. Stunt work is a tribe of lunatics who share crash pads and war stories.
Go take a stunt seminar. You’ll learn how to be lit on fire (safely, with a wet towel), how to fall down stairs (tuck and roll, like a tire), and how to fight with a sword (mostly just don’t poke your own eye out).
The best networking is showing up. Be the person who lands the backflip but also helps roll up the crash mats. Nobody likes a diva who can do a fire burn—everyone likes the humble guy who brings snacks.
Stunt School La at Lynda Jones blog
The "Ouch" Tax
You will get hurt. It’s not a matter of if, but when. I once pinched a nerve walking off a set, and it hurt more than the car crash I’d just filmed. The irony is cruel.
Your body becomes your currency, so treat it like a classic car. Get massages like they’re a hobby. Ice baths become a weekly social event. You’ll start saying things like, “My knee predicts rain,” and you’ll be right.
The best stunt actors are the ones who know when to say “no.” If a stunt feels wrong, you walk away. Living to tumble another day is the real win.
