Free Guy. Chris O’Hara Interview

Free Guy. Chris O’Hara Interview

Stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director Chris O’Hara in this exclusive Interview speaks about the making of action scenes for the Free Guy Disney film.

Chris O’Hara has worked as a second unit director, stunt coordinator and stuntman in film and television for over 20 years. His most recent credits as stunt coordinator include the international blockbusters Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and Venom (2018). O’Hara received Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a motion picture for his work in Baby Driver (2017), Jurassic World”(2015), The Bourne Legacy (2012), X-Men: First Class (2011) and The Bourne Ultimatum”(2007).

O’Hara was the stunt coordinator on Red Sparrow (2018), xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017), Kevin Hart: What Now? (2016), Allegiant (2016), Hitman: Agent 47 (2015), Jurassic World (2015), Jupiter Ascending (2015), Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), The Avengers (2012), Moneyball (2011) and Water for Elephants (2011). O’Hara has also served as a stunt double for a wide range of stars, including Matt Damon (The Bourne Supremacy), Bradley Cooper (The Midnight Meat Train, The Hangover, The Hangover Part III), Jake Gyllenhaal (Bubble Boy), Jim Carrey (How The Grinch Stole Christmas), Chris Pine (Just My Luck) and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded).

Additional stunt credits in film include: Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), The Wedding Ringer (2015), John Wick (2014), Iron Man 3 (2013), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Daredevil (2003), American Pie 2 (2001), Pearl Harbor (2001), The Patriot (2000), Magnolia (1999), Fight Club (1999), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), Pleasantville (1998), Air Force One (1997) and Batman & Robin (1997). O’Hara has also worked as a stunt coordinator on television shows including Champions, The Mindy Project and CSI: Cyber and The Cape.

- Chris, greetings! Please, tell us about the action scenes training for Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer in the Free Guy film.

- I think, one thing that the audience wants to see is the actors doing their own stunts. So putting the actor inside that process a great thing, if we can do it safely. For this you need to have the time to rehearse and work with the actors in a safe, controlled environment, get those guys up to speed.

So we were able to choreograph fight scenes with both Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer. It keeps the audience in the fight, and the audience is really smart now. You can always see when the stunt guys go in there, they kind of had to turn their head away, you know, and so there’s always that point, where the stunt guy will slide in. We were able to work with both of our actors in terms of the stunts, both Jody and Ryan, who are very talented in their own rights. We were able to put them into the action, and I think we achieved something pretty special in this field!

- A big part of your action scenes unfold in the background just like in a video game. Was it challenging to film them with this in mind?

- It required a lot more moving parts. I think, that the cool part of it are those little easter eggs as we call them that are kind of in the background. So when you see the movie, hopefully, you know, you’ve got to watch it a second and third time, saying: «Oh, my God, I didn’t even see that!». That was what we wanted the whole time. We wanted every frame to be filled up with something, even if you’re focused on Ryan Reynolds, there should have been something in the background that, the audience can notice sees the second and third time they watch the film.

- Thanks, Chris!

Free Guy gets to the movies in the US on the 13th of August, 2021.

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Free Guy. Chris O’Hara Interview