BHH “Oh certainly. People want to keep pushing the bar and making original,
harder, more visually eff ective stunts, so the work keeps getting harder and usually
the harder the stunt, the greater the danger element. But what we try and do is
spend loads of time rehearsing and making sure the whole team is on the same
page, to make each stunt as safe as we possibly can. We will often start rehearsing
three months out from fi lming: we get the script, break it down, then shoot
the previews so we can work out the logistics of each shot and show the actors,
directors, and producers. It’s a lengthy process, and that’s because we want to fi lm
the best sequences possible, but also because we need to do everything we can to
reduce the risk.”MF Do you have much of a say in the stunts you perform?
BHH “Yeah it’s very much a collaborative process, so everyone pitches in with
their own ideas for what’s going to make the stunt visually eff ective. It’s great to be
a part of the creative side and see those initial ideas come to life.”MF Let’s get to the good stuff : what’s the toughest stunt you’ve ever done?
BHH “I’ve been lucky enough to perform some big, big stunts and work with
some amazing teams. I did a couple of 100-foot ‘high falls’ on Batman: Th e Dark
Knight Rises when I was stunt doubling for Christian Bale. In the fi lm, it’s when
Batman climbs out of the prison that Bane locked him in, and he jumps down the
well. On Quantum of Solace – my fi rst big job – I was straight in at the deep endwith a balcony jump in Panama. It was 2am, three stories
high, and there were no safety ropes or cables. Th en for the
same fi lm we did the rooftop sequence in Sienna: running
and jumping between rooftops that were 160 feet in the air.
I also did a big fi re gag in Game of Th rones, where I wore
a protective suit and got set on fi re – that was a fi rst.
“In all the fi lms I do, there’s always lots of smashing
about and getting chucked around like a pinball. In
Avengers: Endgame I had to wear a fat suit – it’s not easy
dressing up like Th or as it is, let alone when he’s piled on
some pounds – and we were shooting in Atlanta in the
height of summer, so that was diffi cult in a diff erent sense.
I’ve been lucky enough to have some amazing experiences.
On Mission Impossible 6 I was doubling for Henry Cavil,Clockwise from left: Hanton makes the most of a
short rest between sets; Hanton (left) and Chris
Hemsworth do some very serious acting; as Thor;
analysing an action sequence