Where are all the black stunt doubles?
Where are all the black stunt doubles?
The hidden career that’s even more hidden for POC entertainers
Writer’s note: This post was originally published on Blavity on November 13, 2016.
Thomas Billings is a good-looking guy. So is Nathaniel Perry. But if you match either of them up against Idris Elba, chances are pretty slim you’ll think they look alike. Interestingly, Thomas Billings is the stunt man for Idris Elba in the BBC hit “Luther,” and Nathaniel Perry did his stunts in “Hobbs & Shaw.”
It’s fascinating to see the three in photo comparisons and a bit surprising, considering Elba is known to take on many physical challenges— from hot wings to fast cars.
The good news, though, is that at least more people of color are getting a chance to be stuntmen (and stuntwomen) in movies. There was a time that blackface was a common way to get around hiring POC for Hollywood flicks.