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Following his condemnation of J.K. Rowling’s remarks on trans people, Daniel Radcliffe’s digging in his heels to support stunt performers. The Harry Potter actor is co-hosting a new podcast series, Cunning Stunts, with David Holmes, his stunt double on all of the Harry Potter movies. During the 2009 installment, The Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Holmes’ Hollywood career came to a sudden end when he was paralyzed during a stunt for a flying scene. Over the past 11 years, he’s adjusted to a wheelchair with limited arm mobility, but he still holds a great appreciation for the profession. As for Radcliffe, he joins Holmes in wanting Academy recognition for the stunt field.
During a joint interview with Deadline, the pair discusses stuntwoman Olivia Jackson, who was partially paralyzed and lost an arm during a Resident Evil production. Holmes argues that it’s a “bit ridiculous” that the stunt field, despite risking life and limb for movies, isn’t honored by the Oscars, and Radcliffe adds that people simply don’t “see the art of a brilliant stunt scene.” He maintains that there’s “snobbery” at work, but that there’s a real craft involved with executing stunts in a believable and safe manner. He can see the downside to offering incentives for stunt performers to aim toward bolder stunts, but he ultimately believes that they deserve awards recognition at Hollywood’s most prestigious ceremony:
“[W]hen you go through what happened with Dave or Olivia, or the many people we’ve talked to that have had severe things happen to them, you realize everyone has put their bodies on the line to make the things we love. It seems crazy not to acknowledge that.”
Considering that there are many other Oscar categories than those that involve straight-up acting, it’s a solid idea. And honestly? A stunt montage in the middle of the Academy Awards might not be the “classiest” move, but it would probably drive up ratings. In the meantime, Holmes and Radcliffe are devoting their podcast to interviewing stunt performers, and you can check out their latest episodes here.
(Via Deadline)