There are a number of rules when filming a fight scene, a Winnipeg stunt actor says, but none of them are as important as this: don’t punch your famous co-star in the face.
David MacInnis, a recent transplant to Winnipeg from Toronto, who has a memorable role in the upcoming Winnipeg-shot Nobody 2, says his job is more of an ‘aggressive dance’ than anything else.
“Stunt acting is basically just a category of stunts, where you’re going to be acting as well as taking a punch of being in a fight scene,” MacInnis told Global Winnipeg.
“The choreography is everything, because stunt fighting is just aggressive dance — but you can actually get hurt. If you don’t hit your marks, someone’s going to get hurt.
“When you’re working with an A-lister like Bob Odernkirk, when he’s working for a month or eight weeks, you can’t punch him in the face, you have to be very, very careful.”
Odenkirk, also known for his work in TV dramas like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, as well as his comedic roles, returned to Winnipeg to star in the violent revenge sequel, which is in theatres now.
MacInnis said the star has been doing his own fight training for five years, ever since he was cast in the first film, but it’s not always a given that non-stunt actors will have that kind of background.
In fact, even actors with a background in combat sports — and MacInnis himself has roots in martial arts — often have to forget much of their formal training in order to look good in a choreographed fight on film, he said.
“I think the mistake people make when they’re trying to get into stunts is (thinking), ‘I have to be a good fighter’… but you have to unlearn basically everything you’ve ever learned.
“You’ll see in Nobody 2, all these big, huge looping punches, because that’s what looks good on camera.”
MacInnis said filmgoers will see him in an important fight scene to the movie’s plot, which he describes as the “inciting incident,” and he also features prominently in the movie’s trailer.
So far, he said he’s found a comfortable home in the film community here in Manitoba, where he’s lived for the past 18 months.
“The community here is amazing,” he said.
“What’s nice about the community here is it’s smaller… we’re prairie folk, right? So it’s just a real family, a very, very supportive environment, and the talent here is unbelievable. I’m just so happy and proud to be a part of it.”