Stuntman TJ White On What It Takes to Be A Top Hollywood Stunt Actor
Synopsis: (Podcast #DHR-25) Brenda Ross talks to TJ White of T-Minus Productions. We would appreciate it if you would comment on the Destination Hollywood Radio podcast on iTunes, and like our Facebook page.
Here is an except from Brenda's interview with TJ White of T-Minus Productions in Hollywood, discussing what it takes to become a stunt actor.
I'm a huge fan of action-adventure and sci-fi TV and film. Apart from the story, the things that really float my boat are the action sequences. So I'm super excited to welcome TJ White of T-Minus Productions in HOllywood to the podcast. Hi TJ!
Hi. How are you doing?
I'm good. Dude, you are the total package when it comes to creating, choreographing and designing action sequences. But not only that, you're a film producer and you also have experience as second unit director, AD...very impressive background. Why don't you tell us how you got started in the business.
Thank you. Yeah. I got started in 1991. I graduated high school and grew up in Littlefield, Ohio, a very small Amish town. I moved to Los Angeles where my dad was a Hollywood stunt man, stunt coordinator, second director. And I saw how he did things on set. I grew up on sets like Knight Rider, BJ and The Bear, and Darkman too. That was one of my most influential movie sets I had been on when I was 16 years old.
So your dad pretty much passed along his expertise; that's how you learned?
Yeah. When he was working as a stunt man or stunt coordinator he brought me on a lot of sets and I just sat there and sort of sucked it in and I asked a ton of questions. It's funny. As a younger kid you can get away with asking a lot of questions and not bugging anyone. Like when I was on the set of Darkman and asking Sam Raimi why he would shoot certain things. He's a really established amazing director right now. So I really got a chance to educate myself and revolutionize some of the stunts that we do in my productions.
Yeah, and I want to talk about T-Minus but I want to get back to your impressive resume. When I was scrolling your IMDb profile I literally got a cramp in my finger from scrolling so much. (laughs) You have an incredible background. You've worked on Moms, Blackish, Cold Case, Live Free or Die Hard, 8 Mile, The Young and The Restless. You've done music videos with Chris Brown, J-Lo, and Katy Perry. Why don't we talk about some of the projects you worked on that really stand out in your mind as some of your best work.
Oh Wow. I've been