Veteran stunt co-ordinator Riky Ash on the ups and downs, and the trips, falls, tumbles and plunges of life as a TV and film fall guy.
When do you get involved in the production process?
As soon as I am engaged as a Stuntman or Stunt Co-ordinator, I receive a script which allows me to focus on the required action which enables me to create a detailed risk assessment for all segments of the action that requires my services.
I attend production meeting and recces which allow myself and other departments to liaise as a team to create the desired action in the safest and most realistic manner.
I have also been asked for my advice at a very early stage by script writers, also producers when they are costing what could become a very expense scene to shoot.
I pride myself on my friendliness and being approachable and helpful which many producers, script writers and directors have benefited from in my so far 27 year career.
Your bad/good experiences on a set/ perks or difficulties .
Bad experiences tend to the chaotic and unorganized way some productions operate. This is no reflection with budget, and is down more simply to people not providing basic details – call times, forgetting to add the stuntman to the crew list (the happens more when I brought in after the production has already been filming for some weeks) or information I require to do my job. In my 27 years in the industry, I have never been later, and am always full prepared when I arrive.
The physical damaged is does to one's body is horrendous and I always tell myself this very simple message, “This Is What You Wanted To Do”
Mental health awareness is currently very topical and I hope it remains that way, as being a Stuntman can lead to serious mental health problems, most of my colleagues have at some time in their carers experienced mental health problems directly and indirectly related to our industry.
We place ourselves in life threatening situations on a near daily basis and then have to come back to real life and reality and that can have a destructive effect on our personality.
Good Experiences:
When it is good it is amazing, traveling the world, being rewarded handsomely for my services, meeting some amazing people, being able to experience so much.
I really enjoy Acting alongside being a Stuntman for I qualified as an Actor in 1991 before I became a Stuntman in 1993 and having that quality has been very rewarding having played some amazing roles in feature films, television, computer games, and commercials.
My finest work is when I can be me. Being the very last “Tango Man” in the “Tango Commercial in 2002 where I wore a copper divers helmet and was taken up to a magnet 50 feet above the ground and dropped with the caption, “You Know When You've Been Tangoed” appearing.
To date I have worked on over 700 productions and performed over 1000 Stunts worldwide.
In 2009 I played the role of The Italian racing driver in an amazing “Ferrari” commercial shot in Sicily over three weeks, for a person who absolutely loves cars it was an amazing experience.
In life we experience good times coupled with bad, for all the bad I have experienced it is an amazing industry to work in. I have without a doubt, The Best Job In The World.
Tips and tricks how to get started as a Stuntman.
Sadly my generation will be the last generation of the Stuntman as the industry knows it, for in 2017 the Equity Stunt Register was dissolved after 44 years. So the Stunt Register that was functioning back then no longer exists, it is now sadly “The Wild West” out there, yes this is advantageous to some production companies as there is no regulations any longer as to who they have to use, however One would hope that any production manager / line producer / director would only use highly skilled individuals like myself and only seek to employ past member of The Equity Stunt Register as its members where of the highest standard possible with the experience required to perform our job safely and professionally.
Based on your personal experience, what do you do you do to prepare for filming?
I am constantly training, I am of peak physical fitness and fitter than I was when I was 18. I train six days a week and being a Seventh Dan Grandmaster at Shaolin Kung-Fu has been an amazing asset to being a Stuntman as it prepares myself mentally and physically for the task in hand.
Most recent project
I just completed a film shot in Nottingham ironically in the district where I was born called “The Meadows” working on this film was amazing to be only streets away from the very house I was born in, our unit base was on the street my mother wheeled me up in my pram when I was just months old. What an amazing journey I have been traveling on from those days growing up in Nottingham to what I have achieved today.
In 2000 I was awarded a place in The Guinness Book Of Records as The Worlds Most Versatile Stuntman. I have Stunt doubled every Actor and Actress’s height from 3’6” to 6’4” and an age range from six right up to 90 years of age.