We Had a Chat With a Danish Stuntman

We’ve all had those fantasies as a kid; the one where you’ve finally had enough of this shit and you rip off your school uniform to reveal a black belt in kung fu and open a can of whoop-ass on some unsuspecting bully. For most of us, that dream dies when you realize that the furthest you can get in martial arts is a measly yellow belt. For Joon Poore, one of no more than 10 professional stuntmen in Denmark, the dream stayed alive. He’s made a career out of smashing through car windows and playing a ninja, so we had to grab him to hear what that stunt life is actually like.

VICE: How do people usually react when you tell them you’re a stuntman?

John Poore: Most times people just look at me in disbelief. They think it’s just a hobby or I’m joking. I always like to see their expression when they realize I’m not joking, and they get that look of amazement in their eyes. Whether it’s amazement that you are a stuntman or stupid enough to actually live like that, I haven’t found out yet. I’m proud of what I do, and as long as you tell them with pride that you are what you are, then they will respect it and respect your choice in life.

Is there any common misconceptions?

The first thing everyone says is “do a backflip!” They think that stunt work is the same as being an acrobat or parkour champion or something, and while a lot of stuntmen can do that stuff, it’s a different thing. Second, we’re not superhuman. People think that we don’t feel pain or fear but we do. Just as much as any other human. Stunt work isn’t the same as being a daredevil, because we’re trained to make these stunts as safe as possible. We minimize the risk and train our bodies constantly. It takes more perseverance and discipline than balls, although some balls are required.

There isn’t so many stuntmen in Denmark. You must’ve played some folks that look nothing like you?

I double others, mostly Middle Eastern men, but I also play a lot of roles as myself. Well, given my looks, I play only four different roles:  Asian gangster, a ninja/monk, computer nerd or Japanese tourist. When you look for doubles, you mostly look for the body size. It’s not so much about whether you look like the actor in the face, but you must look like him in body type. So yeah, you double a certain body type.

Are stuntmen rolling in cash? 

That is exactly what’s so frustrating about this business, you just can't say this month I have so much money, or I make this much a year. It is 100% random. One year you have many jobs, the next you have few. It is a constant battle for survival, and that is also the hardest thing about the industry. Don’t quit your day job as they say. On the side I study and work to become a pedagogue, in order to supplement my income. I have also taken a sports masseur course and I teach self-defense for money. I have so many things in the air that it can seem hard to keep up at times, but if you rest for a second then you don’t make money and the next month will be hard on you.

So why even do it then? 

Stunt work is fun. No two jobs are alike, so every time I get a new contract, there’s something new to try. It’s exciting to be challenged all the time and figure out how to do a stunt. My days are literally the life of an action hero; shooting, fighting, jumping through glass, I love my work. Not to mention the travel perks and the interesting people you get to meet. The most important thing is the mutual respect between colleagues. Only we know what it’s really like.

What was the most humbling moment in your stunt career? 

The day I saw someone bite off his tongue. When I was in Seattle in 2008 at the International Stunt School, I saw a guy do a high fall from 10 meters and he landed wrong and bit off a big piece of his tongue. Seeing a stunt go wrong, you’re quickly reminded of your own mortality. That was very real.

Sounds rough. Has anything like that ever happened to you? 

Oh yeah, but not quite as bad. I had to do a car roof crash for an OK Benzin commercial. I hung up on a lift above the car and got ready. The skeleton of the car had been removed so that I could crash through. A detonator was also mounted beneath the roof, with explosives on the side windows and windshield so that when I hit the roof, the windows would explode outwards. I heard “ACTION!” and I pushed myself forward, planning to land diagonally and hit the roof square on, but the lift I was on moved when I jumped so it all went wrong. My fat ass was the first thing that hit the windshield and my upper body fell backwards through the roof, then the detonator went off and my butt and thighs were sitting upon the windshield as they exploded and glass shot up all over my legs and rear end.

Wow. So what happened? Were you ok? 

Well I was only wearing these little shorts so my legs got cut up pretty bad, but I was too out of it to realize. When the director finally yelled “CUT!”, I was pulled out by my stunt coordinator and blood was just streaming down my legs. A shower and a few bandages fixed it up though and I was able to finish the commercial.

Respect man. Where can we see your work next?

I did stunts for the upcoming Antboy 2. I had to jump through a hole in the wall and fight a little bit with Antboy. I was a stunt double for one of the bad guy thugs. This is the first film where I really noticed that I am doing “big” stuff in Denmark and working with some of the best in the business. It was a nice reminder that whatever I’m doing, I’m probably doing it right.

Sounds about right to us. Thanks Joon.