Let’s face it: you don’t come away unscathed and with only a few scratches after an accident where you roll off a cliff, nor do cars just explode after a well-aimed shot during a chase. It’s the magic of cinema, which continues to provide us with epic moments – pure visual fantasy – with the road as the protagonist.
Stunt drivers are in charge of steering the most spectacular and risky sequences. Not in vain is The Fall Guy the title of the well-known film directed by David Leitch and starring Ryan Gosling in which the actor – sorry, his stunt double – appears driving at full speed, sometimes crashing, sometimes driving away wildly, going through windows, jumping from unsuspected heights and experiencing an endless number of adventures. After all, that’s what it’s all about: invoking adrenaline and the frenzy of the senses, in this case, with a thriller at the service of entertainment. A film that, by the way, has the Guinness record for the number of car flips on a set. Eight and a half! And no, it’s not Fellini who did it, but the daring Logan Holladay, a legendary stunt driver. This profession requires delicate preparation, as pointed out by Daniel Paul Kovacs, another name in the industry: “Each scene requires specific training. I am very fortunate to be able to enjoy driving and to have made it my job and lifestyle.”
Now we return to the daily life of these fast-paced pilots, but first, here are a few impossible realities that only happen in fiction.
Reality almost always surpasses fiction, except In these films on wheels, where special effects prevail over the rigor of science, physics and chemistry. “I have always found it strange that in the cinema cars explode at the slightest provocation. In real life it is not so easy,” says Daniel Paul Kovacs. “The car does not turn into a fireball by colliding with another car, nor if it falls down an embankment. And no matter how many times you shoot at the petrol tank, it will not burn.” There are plenty of clichés of the genre: “Even if the car is on fire, it will not explode. Both petrol and diesel are liquid fuels, not gaseous, and for an explosion to occur a mixture of fuel vapor and air is needed in a specific proportion, something that does not usually happen in an accident.”
And what about that kind of double spin that looks more like a Cirque du Soleil act than a car? “It’s another thing that I find very funny! No matter how hard you turn the steering wheel, it doesn’t mean that you turn the vehicle over: rather, you get it off the road,” he says. Special mention should also be made of the tires breaking when a bullet grazes them: a classic outcome that, according to experts in the sector, would not happen in such a way. The ammunition would even bounce off, they point out, given the resistance of the rubber.
And don’t forget the screech of tires, for example, when the hero or heroine is stalking a fugitive! This is a sound introduced in post-production: another cinematic license, like hiding from gunfire behind the doors of the car. Unless they are armored, nobody should try it at home. Better still: nobody should try it under any circumstances.
And has anyone seen how quickly a car sinks on the big screen when it falls into the water? In fact with the entire compartment closed and due to the air accumulated inside, there would be a lapse of a quarter of an hour until the fatal dive was triggered instead of the minute of tension of a supposedly standard scene. All for the sake of spectacle. Because here fiction does sometimes surpass reality.
And who doesn’t remember that maneuver by some character that consists of blocking the exhaust pipe so that the engine flies into the air? It wouldn’t be that simple: it would stop without further ado, without so much fuss. However, let no one empirically verify it. Nor that other infallible cliché: those heart-stopping pirouettes with two vehicles side by side, struggling to get each other off the asphalt: an unheard-of friction, a dizzying dance in an unlikely duel that, by pure logic, would be won by the most robust car or by whoever braked and rammed from behind, rather than from the side. Or, who knows, someone would crash into the guardrail or the hard shoulder because such a choreography cannot be performed even by the St. Petersburg Ballet. But myths endure from the time of celluloid to this age of artificial intelligence. And life—fortunately—is not Mad Max.
“Since I was a child, I have been passionate about cars. I rode all kinds of motorized vehicles and had a great time. Over the years I have been preparing myself, taking courses in precision driving, escorting, drifting and circuit racing,” says Daniel Paul Kovacs, a multi-talented Romanian actor and stunt driver. A dedication that, he explains, requires a lot of physical and mental training. “Stunt drivers need strength, flexibility and endurance. This includes cardio, power and agility exercises. In addition to driving, you have to master other skills such as stunts, safe landing, fire handling and diving. It is essential to understand the mechanics of the vehicles and how they will respond in different situations.”
And, in the meantime, he emphasizes more key points of the trade: “Concentration and calm! Visualization and meditation techniques are used to control stress and stay focused,” says Kovacs, who has been living in Spain for years and who has recently been seen in series such as Alpha Males and feature films such as Hotel Bitcoin and Un lío de millones. Because this specialist combines his vocation for four wheels with acting and work in the world of entertainment with his partner, the well-known comedian Bianca Kovacs.
This experienced stuntman stresses that here “safety comes first”. “Stunt drivers work alongside directors, choreographers and other crew members to plan and execute scenes safely, with protective equipment and strict protocols to minimize the risks in a high-risk profession! Every possible precaution must be taken to avoid accidents on the set.”
Because even though cars don’t flip over, explode or burn like on the big screen – thanks to the skill of these adrenaline jugglers – and even though entertainment rules over science, it’s better that fiction continues to outperform reality when it comes to road safety. And not the other way around.
A car flipping over is better when enjoyed with popcorn.
