Kiwi stunt doubles lead industry

BY MICHAEL FOX

Chances are that with all the publicity around Oscar-winner The Hurt Locker, you've seen the slow-motion scene where a guy in a bomb suit runs away from an explosion.

But, what you might not be aware of, is that this is Kiwi stuntman Isaac Hamon, part of a growing legion of New Zealand-based stunt doubles working in the film industry.

The Hurt Locker swept the Oscars last night, earning six awards including best film and best director for Kathryn Bigelow.

The scene depicting Auckland-based Hamon, 33, running away from an explosion in an 80kg bomb suit, has been regularly used to promote the film.

He describes the explosion that has garnered him the attention as "reasonable".

"I felt it that's for sure. I felt the shockwave."

The film tells the story of a group of soldiers from the US Army's Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit team who find and dismantle deadly roadside bombs in Iraq.

Even though he was acting, wearing the 80kg suit gave him a sense of what real soldiers have to go through.

"When I was doing scenes which involved me going up to the prop bombs, you get a bit of a chill, you know, because you're feeling how it is for these guys," said Hammon.

The former competitive skater and snowboarder and martial arts exponent describes his time on set as "one of the best film experiences I've had".

"It's nice to be a part of something that's gone so big," he said.

"I'll be honest, I wouldn't have thought it would've gone this far."

Hamon doubled for actors Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce in 'that scene', and also for Jeremy Renner, whom he described as a bit of a kindred spirit.

"Everyone there you could relate to in a certain way because they're just real people, you know," he said.

"There were no trailers - it wasn't Hollywood at all. Everyone was there just to try and make this movie that a lot of people had their heart and souls in."

He described Bigelow, the first woman to win a directing Oscar, as hands-on and someone the cast and crew wanted to do their best for.

"She's bringing me bottles of water when I'm getting hot and putting cold towels on my head, you know."

"For me it was awesome because she [directed the movie] Point Break and I grew up on that. When she's not mopping down my head I'm asking her questions about Point Break."

The location had also proved spectacular. While filming in Jordan, they travelled to Petra and the spot on the Jordan River where Jesus was reportedly baptised.

"It was just a crazy place but just beautiful, amazing to be there... the most surreal experience that I've had in film making."

A well-decorated stuntman with roles in The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (a motion-capture Spielberg-directed film currently being created by Weta Digital in Wellington) Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans, 30 Days of Night as well as Outrageous Fortune and Power Rangers.

Hamon, along with Kiwis Robert "Bomber" Young and Tony Marsh, got the Hurt Locker job through ex-SAS trooper, Treasure Island Extreme contestant and Soldier of Fortune subject Barrie Rice, who was providing security on the film.

He said Kiwis were making waves in the stunt industry but continued to largely fly under the radar.

"It's not just Zoe Bell. She deserves all the praise, no doubt, but there is some talent from New Zealand out there that is just working on every major production.

"It's crazy, because even if Avatar had won all the New Zealand stunties were in that as well."

"I just got ahead with that one explosion," he said laughing and admitting he really enjoyed the film.

"You couldn't have played it better as a war movie, you know, It was just a perfect little glimpse into an area of the chaos going on over there."

- © Fairfax NZ News