Episode 74 - Brad Martin

Brad Martin is one of Hollywood’s top stunt coordinators with a string of blockbusters to his name, including the 'Underworld' series, 'Live Free or Die Hard', 'Tropic Thunder', 'Gemini Man', plus the Emmy-nominated 2021 Marvel series, 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier', to name but a few. He has recently been in Northern Ireland shooting second unit and stunt coordinating on a big-screen adaptation of the long-running video game, 'Dungeons & Dragons', scheduled for release in 2023. That’s not bad for a martial artist from Sun Valley, Idaho, who followed his dreams of becoming a stunt performer to Los Angeles – even though he wasn’t particularly sure at the time what a stunt performer did. Luckily, he quickly made friends with fellow martial artists and aspiring action directors J.J. Perry, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski; together, on a diet of determination and Jackie Chan movies, they would go on to transform Hollywood action cinema, becoming technically gifted filmmakers in their own right. We discuss Brad’s journey from George Clooney’s regular stunt double to fighting Sammo Hung in 'Martial Law', Keanu Reeves in 'The Matrix' sequels, and leading the stunt departments on some of the biggest action films of all time. Brad is now bringing back Smashcut Action Design, a company he first created in the 1990s. Using his wealth of knowledge from over 30 years in the business, he will be looking to consult with some of Hollywood’s biggest producers to create and inspire action design from the early conception phase to completion.LINKSVisit the Smashcut Action Design website: https://smashcutaction.com/ (coming soon!)Brad Martin on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0551997/Brad Martin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradmartinaction/Brad Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradmartinactionBrad Martin profile on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/ProfileBradMartin'Live Free or Die Hard'/'Underworld: Evolution' stunt rehearsals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGTuSP7uXK0'The Matrix Reloaded' - the making of the chateaux fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWuNDcHfF0g'Underworld: Awakening' behind the scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2rRW3v7zeYJ.J. Perry on Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast: http://bit.ly/KFMGPodJJPerry Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.