A professional stuntman has revealed how much performers are paid in Hollywood.
Stunt performers are arguably the backbone of the Hollywood machine, stepping in every time an actor needs to be thrown down a flight of stairs, out a plane, or through a window.
With the rare exception of guys like Tom Cruise, every actor will regularly prevent having to themselves go through death-defying experiences all for getting a good shot.
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Director David Leitch, who worked as a stuntman for years, has created a new show called Action, alongside his wife and fellow producer Kelly McCormick.
LADbible spoke exclusively to Leitch, McCormick, and longtime stunt performer and co-ordinator Jonathan Eusebio about stunt performers.
When discussing the topic of stunt performers, discussion came onto whether performers are paid what they are owed.
Eusebio, who did stunts on John Wick, responded to this query by saying: “As stuntmen, we do get, you know, we get paid very well.
“I think, you know, you're getting it paid for the job you're doing.
“We get paid very well. I just think it's a matter of, for us, it's more being recognised for all the hard work we put in.
“You're getting compensated for the risks that you're taking, and, that's always kind of important, right?
“So as long I think we're getting compensated for the risks that we're taking in the contribution we did to the film. I always feel like we're in a good spot.”
While he did not get into the specifics of exact figures, this has been revealed before.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, pay rates for stunt performers start at $1,200 a day or $4,500 a week, depending on the performer.
This can obviously vary depending on the performer and the situation.
Well, you would not be able to pay me $45,000 a week to put my body through what stunt performers experience, let alone $4,500.
Following Eusebio’s comments, David Leitch chimed in to give credit to the Screen Actors Guild which went on strike in 2024 for better pay and conditions for performers.
He said: “I think it's really great that you SAG stunt performers are under SAG contracts. So there's residuals, there's participation, and that Union's done a great job for a while to protect us.
“You know, I think obviously part of the labour strikes involved compensation. Moving forward, it relates to performers, and there's that discussion.”
He went on to refer to the situation surrounding stunt performers and intimacy co-ordinators.
He said: “But in terms of, like, the landscape of peeing in front of camera we participate as stunt people, they participate just like actors do.
“So that's a good thing.”
Leitch has spoken in the past about campaigning for there to be a stunts Oscar category to see more recognition.
Whilst they could not specify where it stood at the moment, Leitch said he was ‘so deep in it right now with the Academy’.
He went on to say: “I think there's a real strong belief and support for an Academy Award for stunt design, and that it is a legacy of cinema and it should be recognized.
“It's an art and a science. We've had initial conversations with the awards committee.
“We will have to go to them formally to get the approval to go to the board. So that stuff's all happening.
“I think in the first time in a long time, we've seen momentum, but the Academy moves at the way the Academy moves.
“They have a lot of agenda pieces always floating around but I do think there's an award coming, and fingers crossed, there's so much support inside, outside.”
Available exclusively on LG Channels, adrenaline-fuelled docuseries Action, follows the 87North stunt team and reveals the captivating stories of ordinary individuals drawn to the electrifying world of action sports, martial arts, motor-cross and more. Available exclusively via webOS on LG TVs, LG Channels gives viewers access to 1,000s of films and TV series on-demand for free
Topics: Oscars, Film, TV and Film, Entertainment
Michael Slavin