Stunt Doubles: Love Them or Hate Them

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

Here's a question on Stunt doubles, what's your opinion on them, do you like them or do you hate them. If you don't know, Stunt double are the people who that the punishment Actors (or actresses) don't want to take. Let's play a game called "Stunt Double or Now a Stunt Double"


Not a Stunt Double, that is Amanda Tapping, she got a concussion for performing that stunt in "The Enemy Within"


Stunt double, the moment when Teal'c is thrown by the Human-form Replicator (aka SGA Stunt Coordinator James "BamBam" Bamford), Chris Judge doesn't perform the stunt it is in fact it's his stunt double.


Stunt Double, when Jack is thrown back, it's not RDA, it is in fact his stunt double, Dan Shea (aka SGT. Sly Siler and SG-1 Stunt Coordinator)


Not a Stunt Double, that is Ben Browder in the sword fighting Scene from "Avalon Part 2," and from what I've heard he did a bang up job.

Actors/Actresses who do all of there stunts (from what I've read/heard)
Ben Browder
Tom Cruise
Jennifer Garner (Except during Alias season 5, when she was pregnant, but I'm assuming)

Actors/Actresses who do most of their own stunt (or a majority)
Amanda Tapping
Rachel Luttrell (assumption)
Jason Momoa (assumption)

Poll Info (info for poll is bolded, below)
Question:
Stunt Doubles?
Options:
Love Them
Hate Them
Undecided

I personally hate them, if you become an actor/actress then you've got be willing to do your own stunts. The only time stunt doubles are useful (in my opinion) is when an actress is pregnant in real life or when an actor/actress has a major/serious injury which could be injured again if they do the stunt.

[Skydiver]

IMHO, stunt doubles are a necessity. to be perfectly blunt, they're expendable. Yes, they are professionals and they do train, but for any show, there is only ONE actor that can play a role - ie only one ben browder, one claudia black, and if something happens to that one actor, it can futz up the show horribly whereas, well if dan shea gets owied and has to take time off, there are others that can fulfill the role doing the stunts

[TechnoWraith]

Without the stunt doubles, there would be no stargate. As mentioned already, they're the lifeblood of any production. Productions would be incredibly boring if there were no stunt doubles!

[Pharaoh Atem]

Without the stunt doubles, there would be no stargate. As mentioned already, they're the lifeblood of any production. Productions would be incredibly boring if there were no stunt doubles!

yes cuase there would be no stunts

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

yes cause there would be no stunts

there still would be stunts, but would be more broken bones/injuries.

[ShadowMaat]

I'd rather have trained professionals doing what they do best than some hotshot actor pretending to know what he's doing.

[Anubis69]

I understand why they use them but, personally, if i was an actor i'd do all my own stunts. I guess it would help me get into the part more... Plus it shows enthusiasm.

For the record i voted "love them".

[Callista]

I agree stunt doubles can detract from a show when it's obvious that it's not the regular actor. However, when they get someone who can pass for the regular actor I far prefer for the person doing the stunt to be someone who is highly trained in how to do the stunts. I don't know anything about this stuff, but I would assume a regular actor is far more likely to get hurt than a professional stunt person doing the same stunt because the stunt person has time to train exhaustively for it as well as having lots of experience while an actor would probably just get a couple of hours of training....after all, they're wanted for other things.
I also agree with Skydiver that if a regular actor gets hurt, it could bring the whole production to a screeching halt. Bruises and broken bones can take a very long time to heal, and while that is happening they can't film anything that would have taken place before the stunt (they don't always film things in the order we see them on the screen) not to mention that if something really serious happens, the whole project might have to be scrapped altogether.
I see acting and doing stunts as two entirely separate careers. I mean, do you want the actors playing medical staff to actually give the other actors shots...or worse?

[FeloniousMonk]

I personally hate them, if you become an actor/actress then you've got be willing to do your own stunts. The only time stunt doubles are useful (in my opinion) is when an actress is pregnant in real life or when an actor/actress has a major/serious injury which could be injured again if they do the stunt.

lol

Why should they do their own stunts? It's not like they write their own lines, do their own makeup or stock their own wardrobe.


btw, tom cruise does not do all his own stunts. even jackie chan, credited with doing more of his own stunts than most actors, stands back on things that are either dangerous enough to require a dedicated professional or would take too much time away from the shooting schedule

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

Here are some more pics of Chris Judge's Stunt double from Avatar (I just captured them from my Season 8 DVD):

[Skydiver]

remember Alexander??

teh movie stopped taping for 2+ months because brad pitt broke his arm

cost them...who knows how much

that's why you use stunt doubles

And if appropriate skill is taken casting and using them, the average viewer will never know the difference.

It's not THAT they're used that can detract from a show, but how they're used

[Sasusc]

Stunt doubles are necessary. I love them. As far as I know, I haven't met any stunt double professionals. If I was an actress, I would want to do all of the stunts I could, but I know there would be things I couldn't do and would need someone who knows what they are doing.

Anyway, stunt doubles needs jobs too!

[Madeleine]

Stuntmen and women do incredible things. There's a real skill to falling onto concrete and jumping up unscathed; there's a real knack to fighting and making it look realistic without injuring or being injured. It's not all done on big puffy crashmats.

And it has to be said, the average actor or actress is just not bendy enough to do the high kicks that action shows tend to require .

I say leave it to the professionals.

[ShadowMaat]

Was watching a show last night and they were talking to Mr. T and he said he had no problem with using a stunt double because- and I quote- "I'm not stupid."

I think that sums it up nicely. Doing your own stunts when you don't have the training for it (and can't afford the time to get trained) is plain stupid.

As for all the screencaps, what do they prove? How many times have you been watching a show- at normal speed- and said, "OMG! That's the double!"

Sure, when you go through frame by frame it's easier to find instances where the real actor has been substituted or if you read that so-and-so wasn't in a particular scene you might be able to pick up on some cues, but other than that... most shows that I've seen are fairly seamless in blending the doubles into a scene.

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

As for all the screencaps, what do they prove? How many times have you been watching a show- at normal speed- and said, "OMG! That's the double!"

For the Screen caps of RDA and CJ, I learned those were stunt doubles by listening to the Episode's commentary. The BB Screen cap, I learned it wasn't a stunt double from the "Sci-Fi Inside: Sci-Fi Friday" lowdown. As for the AT thing, I forget were I heard that, It was probably from a lowdown or something.