Whether it's slipping into the spandex Spidey suit or putting on the fangs in Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" television series, Chris Daniels' stunt career has been nothing short of action packed.
Daniels offered anecdotes and advice to "Spiderman" fanatics, stuntman-hopefuls, and curious patrons Friday night in the Center for the Arts.
Daniels is highly lauded for his stunt work and has received numerous awards. Of the many stunts he has performed on shows such as "V.I.P.," "The Practice," and "Roswell," and films like "Charlie's Angels 2," it's his work on the blockbuster "Spiderman" franchise that seems to be his biggest endeavor yet.
His interest in becoming a fall guy began at the age of three with gymnastics and dance. Following that was a childhood filled with various sports including football, baseball, wrestling, track and beach volleyball. His first jobs were at Disney's Orlando stunt shows, which led to a lifelong dedication to the career.
Daniels' family's concern for his safety was always a problem for him, specifically his mother, who didn't approve until he moved to Los Angeles to make movies.
After four years in Orlando stunt shows, he moved to L.A. to get a film career started. Daniels gave advice to fall-guys-in-training in the audience, relaying tips from working in the industry, for example: headshots and well-written resumes are key in producers taking prospects seriously. Also, don't twist or land on wrists to avoid broken bones.
However, Daniel's most important advice was to "always be nice to hair, makeup and wardrobe people, so they don't mess up your look, and they properly pad your costumes for car hits."
Apparently there is nothing worse than being hit by a car for a stunt at 15 mph without enough padding...who would have thought?
"There's no finesse in that, you're just getting hit by a car," Daniels said.
The hardest stunt Daniels has ever taken on has been a 180-foot fall for the film "Spiderman 2," during the scene where Peter Parker (Spiderman) loses his powers.
"It certainly was the scariest stunt, if not the most difficult," he said.
When asked by a young audience member to demonstrate what stunts would appear in "Spiderman 3," he chuckled.
"That one you're going to have to wait to see in the movie," Daniels said.
The amount of money a stuntman can hope to get depends on both seniority and the difficulty of the stunt, he said. $2000 will cover two car hits, and $14,000 will be paid for a 180-foot fall.
"Mom would say 'So your life is only worth $14,000?'" Daniels joked.
Daniels has a great deal of respect for stuntwomen like Zo?Ae Bell, who recently performed in "Grindhouse." He said the industry is much more difficult for stuntwomen, specifically because the outfits they wear are usually much more revealing, leaving little room for the safety cushioning pads. It is a fact that he never realized until "Spiderman" when he was required to perform the majority of his stunts clad only in an unpadded spandex Spidey suit.
Of the other people involved in the "Spiderman" series, Daniels has his favorites. Director Sam Rami is "phenomenal," Daniels said. Willem Dafoe, who played Norman Osbourne, the Green Goblin, is by far his favorite villain, and one of the most laid back actors Daniels has ever met. While some actors would have a temper tantrum if their scene was delayed, Dafoe would shrug, laugh, and say he was going to relax and watch some television.
The career and life of a stuntman depends on the precision of the actor and the crew, as Daniels knows all too well. "If we get hurt, they call another guy in," Daniels said.
Due to a severe head injury, Daniels had to retire for a year.
"I'd never been injured like that," Daniels said, and he worried that due to the concussion he wouldn't be able to do stunts again.
But like Spiderman, Daniels eventually regained his powers, and returned to that which he loves.
