By: Courtney Elisech
Student Submission
Meet Dan Lemieux, a Michigan local who is a stunt coordinator and stunt man that has worked on hundreds of movies and T.V. sets during his 30 years in the business. From small films to big pictures like Transformers and Need for Speed, Lemieux has found a career that he genuinely loves and enjoys, sharing that it’s a fun job and it never feels like a day of work. A regular workday for Lemieux might include hanging out with big stars like Will Ferrill, Rainn Wilson, Zach Braff, or Alyssa Milano. Lemieux currently lives in Plymouth, Michigan with wife Sarah, daughters Elyse and Alynne, son Michael, and their two dogs.
Q: What is the difference between a stuntman and stunt coordinator?
A: Stunt coordinators are the guys who are in charge and will plan everything, do the budgets, ensure everything is safe for the stunt doubles as well as the actors. Think of them as the stunt coordinator like the department head. A stunt man or stunt double are the people who do the actual stunts that are too dangerous or too hard physically for the actor to perform. I worked as a stunt man first and worked my way up to being a stunt coordinator, now I do both.
Q: What are some recent projects you have worked on?
A: Well, everyone has been on strike for a while. The writers were on strike first and then us. Theirs went on longer and then ours went on for another 40 days. The producers had nothing lined up to prepare for the strike, just aired sports and reruns. The day after the strike Chicago P.D. called me for a part. I’m shooting that now and they want to cram everything in so much. It usually takes eight shooting days to shoot an hour-long show. The part I am up for is a dad who gets shot in the neck and bleeds out. It is a sticky nasty mess.
Q: How did you get started in this career?
A: I have been doing this for 30 years. I graduated when I was 25 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Performance from Western Michigan University and a Masters of Fine Arts, Acting, from the Theatre School at DePaul University of Chicago. I went to be an actor and did a lot of stage combat and always got the part. I started assisting in choreographing fights in Chicago. They had an audition for a wild west stunt show at 6 Flags in Gurney, Illinois that I went out for. I got hired and wanted to learn everything. I learned how to do high falls from the platforms, worked with horses, and how to ride them and fall off them. I moved to L.A. and waited tables for one month before I was hired at a wild west stunt show and a 6 Flags Batman show. Stunt coordinator, Noon Orsatti, took me under his wing and I have worked with him for 14 years.
Q: Can you share some favorite actors and actresses or shows that you have enjoyed working with?
A: I have doubled Will Ferrill on Step Brothers and Blades of Glory but didn’t get any pictures. I am not a fan of taking pictures. Rainn Wilson from The Office was great, I doubled him for a show called Utopia. Hugh Jackman in Reel Steel. Zach Braff was awesome from Scrubs when I doubled for the janitor, Neil Flynn. Worked on Charmed for years and everyone was fun to work with, I doubled many characters. Alec Baldwin from the Cat and the Hat was fun. In Reno I was shooting The Cooler with William H. Macy. During a really big acting scene Macy broke character to make sure I wasn’t really hurt. Was really impressive that he did that. I have met a lot of great guys in the biz.
Q: What is a favorite show you have worked on?
A: Scrubs for sure, everyone on the crew is just fantastic, from producers to directors to actors. It was an absolutely amazing show. Charmed was also a fantastic set to work on, once Shannon [Doherty] left. I remember the day Rose [McGowan] started on Charmed after replacing Shannon. I was playing a bald guy who gets shot in the chest at Prue’s funeral, my dad was on set that day too. Rose was off to the side and so nervous, I talked her down by making jokes, and it was great to work with her. In fact, I played hockey with Alyssa Milano’s brother and know their whole family well. I am also still close with Brian Krause from Charmed.
Q: How has AI impacted your job as a stunt double?
Since the first Mission Impossible movie I could see, what AI was bringing to the table. Could be the end of stunts. I did a ton of motion captures in L.A. Motion capture is where they put markers on your joints and other areas as well as your face; performance capture is what it’s called now. Motion capture takes your body and captures it in the computer, and they can then put a skin on your body. They use it in video games a lot. And Narnia, I was all of the male centaurs in Narnia. They reused me for Prince Caspian and the centaurs without paying me. The big issue is they can use what has already been created over and over. I had a friend tell me “I see you in so many commercials and stuff that they aren’t you paying for. And I have “distinct walk” to add something special, so it is identifiable. Marvel will capture you on the first day of filming and reuse you even when you’re not there. Producers went out during the strike and made it so nothing that an AI writes can be copyrighted or trademarked. The producers own all the rights to it, so instead of having the writer get paid to write the script they have AI reading books to create and write the script and then they have the writers tweak it to make it normal, but the writers won’t get their residuals or credits. Haven’t gone far enough with AI to protect the stunt workers. Digi doubles is what they call AI stunt doubles. It captures parts of bodies and uses parts of bodies. There are not enough protections for AI. They should not be able to just capture body parts and use them as they see fit. For example, in Blades of Glory I did all the movement and Will went in and did facial capture and they laid his face on the stunt doubles face. We have some protection in the contract but not enough. I voted NO on the contract.
Q: What different stunts can you do/have you done?
A: I can do everything. I have done everything. On my resume I just list that I am able to perform all expected abilities.
Q: What are things that people don’t expect you to do as a stunt person or stunt coordinator?
A: There are lots of wires and harnesses involved in stunt doubling, and a tremendous amount of time spent wearing them. You have to dye your hair, even facial hair, to match the actors. If the actor has facial hair, then you cannot cut yours. Sometimes you get told things like “Don’t get this blood everywhere on this suit because we only have this one suit.” And that’s a little crazy, how do you control where the blood splatter will go? Sometimes actors shoot the scene first and tell the stunt doubles to just land this specific way, with an arm or leg in a certain position, like that’s realistic. Back when I first started, in most sex scenes if you couldn’t see the person’s face then they were the stunt double. Post Harvey Weinstein sets now have an intimacy coordinator. They will talk to everyone involved to ensure they are comfortable with everything. Before this, the stunt coordinator did this freely to ensure safety. I am really good at reading body language and had to put my foot down one time. A young girl was supposed to be fully nude and being dragged in the sand. I could just tell from her face she wasn’t comfortable, but like most she didn’t say anything. I covered for her and said the stunt wasn’t safe if she was fully nude, and you could just see her gratitude. The stunts department has a lot of power and if they say something is not safe, especially if they are under the SAG-AFTRA, then it is a no go.
Q: Do you travel a lot for your job and where is one of your favorite places you have traveled to for work?
A: Yes, I travel a lot, not as much as I did when I was younger. I love Montana. I’ve worked in New Mexico at the ranch where Alec Baldwin killed somebody, it is absolutely beautiful and really fun. I was actually supposed to work on the set of Rust where he killed someone, and yes, I mean he killed someone. Maybe things would have ended differently if I had been there.
Q: Do you have to spend a lot of time in Hollywood?
A: I hate L.A. I haven’t been back since 2009 for the Taurus World Awards. Most everything shoots in Georgia now. There is a giant film incentive built into their state constitution. All my buddies moved from L.A. to Georgia. Producers go where they can make the most money. Michigan lost the film incentive 2011, which relocated a lot of work. There are two bills in the senate to bring it back. I am on the Michigan Film and New Media Advisory Counsel for the state, I am a board member for that. We shot Afghanistan scenes right here in Michigan. I made a decision in 2011 to be home more. From 2008-2011 I was working from the end of March to December 21 and had only six days off and that includes weekends. I would sleep on stunt pads in the room at the Masonic where we were recording. They would wake me up 20 minutes before I needed to be on set. I ended up working on multiple films at one time, actually driving from Reel Steel to Hostel 3. I got pneumonia in august. It was because of Michael I cut everything back in 2011. I was working these crazy hours and sleeping in the basement a lot of the time and working nights. Little Michael feet came running, he was four years old at the time, and Sarah said, “Don’t bother daddy, he’s sleeping.” And Michael got upset and asked his mom “Why did you make daddy run away?” And from then on, I decided to spend time more time at home and be a family man. I don’t regret that decision for a day. Financially it was hard, but it was best for the family. You take a big cut when you’re not the boss, when you’re just a worker bee you just get paid when you’re actually on set working. I sell insurance now too and other things to supplement.
Q: What type of other things do you do to supplement income now, or just in your free time?
A: I became a substitute teacher during covid and like I said I sell insurance. I also referee and umpire. I like to stay busy and learn things. I am always listening to books. I love research and information.
Q: What are the Taurus Awards that you mentioned?
A: The Taurus World Stunt Awards are like the Oscars for stunt people. They are sponsored by Red Bull, hence the Taurus in the name. I was nominated for one in 2009 for a roller skate jump from when I was doubling Will Ferrell in the movie Semi Pro. It was a 70-foot ramp with a 9-foot kicker take off ramp. I went 20 feet in the air and 50 feet long, (on roller-skates) and landed on a cheerleader. After just two days of rehearsal, I was hanging on the wire practicing for this. Lost the award to the semi flip in Batman.
Q: What does a typical day look like as stunt man?
A: Usually, I work a 12-hour day, and depends on if it is for TV or film. For film, if you are the core stunt guy then you work every day especially if it is on location. There is also previsualization, which is recording and showing the directors stunts for approval. Sometimes the actors are there, but usually not. Second unit directors are when they record the scene with stunts and plug in the actors later. Streaming services record shows like they are like a movie, and then cut it into episodes.
