In our series on expats with interesting lives, Clare McKenna meets a stunt man who worked with Hollywood’s finest

You could be forgiven for not recognising Paul Weston at first glance, although you’ll almost certainly be a fan of his work. For the last 30 years he’s been responsible for designing and performing some of the most exciting stunts in cinema history.

James Bond, Star Wars, Superman, Aliens – he’s starred in them all and walked away unscathed. Well, almost! Paul has doubled for many ´A list´ actors and when you’re running along the roof of speeding trains and flying through the air, you’re bound to get the odd knock.

But a few bruises are nothing compared to the excitement and adventure of being a stuntman. It’s a career that’s taken him around the world and into the company of actors including Marlon Brando, Roger Moore, Michael Cane, Pierce Brosnan, Billy Crystal and John Belushi. So it’s strange to think that starring in films was never something he set out to do.

“I trained as an engineer but I didn’t enjoy that so I began modelling,” says Paul. “One day I was sent to stand in for Roger Moore in The Saint as they needed someone to go through his lines.

“I did that a few times and eventually they gave me a small part which required my character to fight. That led to a part as Emma Peel’s husband in The Avengers where I began learning more about the business and doing more serious stunts.

“At the time all you needed was to be fit and coordinated and it was a great way to make some money.”

These days a career as a stunt person requires up to five years training and a handful of qualifications. There are around 200 qualified men and women in the UK who specialise in skills such as skydiving, martial arts or sub aqua work.

While special effects and health and safety laws have changed the industry to a great extent, the basic mental and physical attributes needed for this sort of work remain the same.

“Obviously you have to enjoy the excitement,” Paul explains. “But the best characteristic a stunt person can have is the ability to control their adrenalin.

“It’s good to be fearful as you have to be aware of your emotions and be able to direct them towards what you’re doing. You have to trust in the process you’re following and know that you will come out safely on the other side.” 

In the James Bond films Paul has doubled for Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan as well as some of the more memorable ´baddies´ like Jaws. And it was the film Octopussy that presented Paul with one of his most dangerous scenes.

“I was doing a scene for Roger Moore where Bond runs along the top of a moving train. We filmed on an old railway track with very low bridges and they wanted Bond to duck underneath.

“There wasn’t enough room to physically duck so I had to run along the train, which was hurtling towards the bridge, and drop through a panel in the roof at the last minute. We did the take three times and the last one was so close that I only just got down in time and the bridge actually knocked the panel shut!”

He’s also had a few other hair-raising experiences, including breaking his cheekbone doubling for Superman and being set on fire at the end of Licence to Kill!
 
It’s those moments of breathtaking suspense and danger that Paul believes have saved the profession from the threat posed by special effects and animation.

“Technology has had a massive impact on what we do but it can only go so far,” he explains. “Audiences are sophisticated and they want to believe in and sympathise with real characters. Using computers diminishes that sense of reality and people don’t want that.

“The UK has some of the best stunt equipment in the world and we are getting better at using it to create amazing effects. What we need to do now is learn more about the techniques the Japanese filmmakers are using so we can improve even more.”  

Nowadays Paul still does the occasional stunt but most of his time is taken up with being a stunt coordinator and second unit director. He reads new film scripts, analyses what stunts they need, carries out risk assessments and talks to directors about how the stunts will look.

He’s recently finished working with fellow Brits Michael Cane and Jude Law on a film called Sleuth, which is due in cinemas later this year. And when he’s not on set he’s writing a screenplay or travelling to film conventions to meet fans, give talks and sign photographs.

“The conventions are great fun as it gives me the chance to meet up with friends that I haven’t seen for years,” concludes Paul. “For the moment I’m going to carry on with those and just see what happens in the future.” 

To find out more about Paul Weston you can visit his website at www.paulwestonstunts.com

Endsut Paul Weston you can visit his website at www.paulwestonstunts.com

This article first appeared in the magazine Dreamlife, which has a circulation of 60,000 in the Costa del Sol. See: www.dreamlife-magazine.com

[Copyright Expatica]

[July 2007]

Subject: Spain; Expat tales