Seasons Greetings dear readers!
At this magical time of the year many of us indulge in the excitement and splendour of a blockbusting epic movie or two at the cinema or cosily at home on TV. We should remember that many of the daredevil stunts that impress us deeply are performed by those who risk life and limb to make these cinematic marvels a reality.
So…we thought why not share something a bit special this Christmas: a two-part Kung Fu Kingdom exclusive interview with action movie stunt legend Vic Armstrong! We recently had the great privilege of spending an afternoon with him. If you didn’t already know, Vic is one of the world’s leading stunt performers and co-ordinators, and is a film director in his own right.
In a career spanning over four decades, he has worked on everything from the James Bond films, to Superman, Terminator 2, Total Recall, Rambo III, and most famously doubled for Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones films.
He’s worked with the biggest names in the business such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Jason Statham, Angelina Jolie, Michelle Yeoh, Jet Li, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone – even Her Majesty the Queen recognises his tireless contributions to the film industry.
Vic is the only stunt performer to have been given an Academy Award and a BAFTA and is in the Guinness Book of Records as the World’s Most Prolific Stuntman. If film action is a science, then Vic Armstrong is its Einstein!
Check out our fascinating two part interview to hear about his film career, training, insights and his views on everyone from Jackie Chan to Jet Li, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Tony Jaa and much, much more!
Here is just what a few stars say about Vic:
Be warned, whenever Vic says “I’ve got an idea”, something dangerous is about to happen. That’s why we love him. – Angelina Jolie
No one does better action sequences than Vic. Some stunt co-ordinators are good with explosion scenes, some are good with car chases or gun battles. But Vic is a master of them all. – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Vic was a great guy to work with on the Bond films and a legendary stuntman. He’s the man. – Pierce Brosnan
You can also read our review of his engaging and engrossing book here.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Interview Part One
Interview Part Two
Great interview! I think one of the best interviews i’ve seen so far. I like that I gradually found myself enjoying watching the interview. (I actually wished for it to last longer and has more.) I like Vic’s ideals and philosophy. He’s got so much stories to share and it’s very interesting for me and for a lot of people, I’m sure! He has worked with a lot of famous personalities, and most of which are my favourites! I didnt realise that he and his team are the same people behind a lot of the movies I really love, amazing films… I’m now interested to check out his book mentioned in the interview, I will soon find out… Awesome, awesome interview… Nice to see and know people who worked behind the camera and has done a lot, fantastic job… Looking forward to his next projects. And hopefully soon with Jackie Chan and Tony Jaa too! Very well done! 🙂