Stunt work was fun. I wasnāt a ārealā stuntman though, no jumping off of buildings or any of that crazy stuff. Those guys are incredible to me. I only got into stunt work by accident, by being at the right place at the right time.
Just before moving here the first time, I had helped out a woman in L.A that was one of my senseiās black belts. She told me to call her husband when I got to Hawaii, he was a stunt coordinator. I met him for breakfast. He asked āHey, you want to work as a stuntman?ā
I said, āHell, no.ā
He said, ālet me rephrase that, do want to make a whole bunch of money doing the same things you do in the dojo?ā
I said āhell yes.ā
I felt guilty looking at my first paycheck, I thought it was a mistake and went to the coordinator. Thatās when I learned why making movies and tv shows are so expensive. Union rates are huge.