Comic book movies always seem to be raising the bar when it comes to action sequences, with Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 both being praised for their intricate fight scenes. And according to stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, there’s a lot that goes into how they come together.
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ComicBook.com recently caught up with Hargrave on the Deadpool 2 red carpet, where he teased his involvement in the R-rated blockbuster. Hargrave, who has done stunts on everything from Captain America: Civil War to Atomic Blonde, had a unique role in helping Deadpool 2‘s stunts come to life.
“I can take a very small piece of credit.” Hargrave revealed. “I came in the film’s additional photography, for second unit, and I did stunt coordinating. And the guys before, like Darren Prescott and Jonathan Eusebio, those guys led the way and did some amazing work. I just came in and tried to breathe some new life in a couple of sequences. And the fun part about it is this character is so wonderfully, comedically, irreverent, and you can beat the crap out of him and it doesn’t seem to phase him. And see? You’re laughing. Beating somebody up, that’s funny.”
But as Hargrave explained, stunt coordinators are tasked with making sure that the fight scenes come together as effortlessly as possible, so as not to avoid actors accidentally punching or hurting each other.
“I personally am not [on set].” Hargrave explained. “I show actors what to do, but I’m back and I’m coordinating stuff and I’m setting up shots and making sure actors know what’s happening, what’s expected of them. And make sure everybody stretches their neck before being punched. Just, kind of, making sure everybody stays safe.”
“[Actor actually hurting each other] can happen, if somebody gets too excited or it’s not well-rehearsed.” Hargrave continued. “My main job is safety, and so I try to make sure everything’s well-rehearsed. And on this one, with the actors, we were able to kind of escape a lot of that.”
So, which high-octane action sequence in Deadpool 2 was Hargrave’s favorite?
“There’s a sequence in the film where there’s a car chase mixed with fighting.” Hargrave said. “I can’t really explain it all until everybody sees it, but there were so many different elements with it. Cars, vehicles, and the green screen, actors that had to come together. And I think the team did an amazing job of really putting a harrowing and exciting sequence on the screen.”
And while Hargrave lent his talents to Deadpool 2, he has quite a lot of experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe space, including serving as Chris Evans’ stunt double in The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Hargrave also served as a stunt coordinator on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, and hinted that fans should be prepared for some incredible fight scenes.
“I can tell you it’s going to be awesome.” Hargrave teased. “And if you liked Avengers 3, just wait.”
Both Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 are in theaters now. Avengers 4 will land into theaters on May 3, 2019.
