Interview published on 08th June 2011
Lane Leavitt leads a very busy life; he is three-time US Motorcycle trial champion who first turned stuntman for the TV series "The Fall Guy". He has worked on movies, music videos and is also a stunt co-ordinator whose work has transformed the stunt industry, taking him before the Motion Picture Academy three times for his technical achievements for the Airramp. We had a chat with Lane and asked the Stuntinator a couple of questions about his roles in T2 as resistance soldiers and the T-1000 and also about his stunt creations that enabled our eyes to believe that Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped into a flood canal on a Harley Fat Boy in one of the greatest chase sequences known to man...
When did you make the decision to become a stunt man?
I did not volunteer, I was drafted! They needed somebody to ride a wheelie down the railing of a bridge on The Fall Guy, TV show.
After a lot of thought, I found my nitch in the business designing stunts and technology For action sequences.
Have you always had the daredevil taste for danger in your blood?
Never had it, never will, we make our living by devising ways to make action look amazing and dangerous but actually keeping it safe for the people involved.
So you've worked on major hollywood movies, promotions, music videos and more. What have been your favorite projects to work on?
My favorite project? My very next job and so on and so on and so on. I just like to work.
What was it like to work for James Cameron?
Jim is a madman, a nice madman, a genius madman, love the guy, my favorite director.
What was it like to be a Tech-Com soldier? Does working for John Connor's resistance break a sweat?
Our roles as future soldiers of the resistance was fun. It's like playing army as a kid.
The future war sequence of T2 was a classic piece of cinematic history, what was it like to be there in the flesh, did you trip over any skulls?
To be totally honest, we had no idea what we where filming. T-1 was not a big hit movie, so T-2 for us seemed like every other job. After it came out and was such a huge smash hit, and movie icon we realized later what an amazing project it was to be involved with.
The fans do want a Terminator 5 and want a return to the dark sky and dark blue tones of the skeleton filled landscape, twisted metal and shattered horizons of the 1st and 2nd movies. When you were on the set of the actual future war; did it look blue in actuality?
We filmed at the old Kaiser Steel plant in Fontana, it is huge and really spooky. Yes, the sets and the location lent itself to the story. You needed to be really careful, because it was really a dangerous place. Lots of real toxic waist, nasty, gritty places and yes, the extra set dressing really added to the effect!
Just how many resistance soldiers did you play and did any of them die at the hands of the machines or their phased plasma weaponary??
Wow tough question, I was killed or ran away from imaginary machines added digitally later, many, many times.
What kind of practical effects were going on in the future war around you as you played the different soldiers (charges, explosions, set) ... ?
We had a ton of FX, smoke, gas bombs, lighting effects and imaginary machines we had to react to. It was fun!
What level of danger were you in when filming the pyrotechnics and explosions for the scenes?
To be honest, the FX were not the danger, it was the danger of the location. It's an old steel mill, with many broken down furnaces, buildings, with scrap and rubble. You needed to be smart and careful not to get hurt, it's not the sort of environment that it's healthy being in.
Did you make any friendships with any cast/crew on the Terminator movies?
A crew is a family! You always have a near and dear spot in your heart for anybody that shares something as big as T-2 as a life experience.
Did you see anything filmed or prepared/participated in on set that didn't make it into the movie (T2)?
Yes, one example was Jim gave me a part as a future soldier who is crushed by one of the machines. It was my big close up but the movie ran long. So my part was cut from the film to shorten up the playing time of the movie. Jim loved my acting. So he also gave me a part as the head bellhop in the movie True Lies that made it into the film.
Did the police helmet and reflective shades make it easier to take on the role of the T-1000 as a stuntman? (you look like his twin in costume).
I didn't really think much about the character, I hand-built the double bike from the remains of the police bike that was ridden out the window. I took all the parts from that crashed bike, and placed them on an XR500 dirt bike, and dressed it to look like the 1100cc Kawasaki police bike. The double bike ended up looking really fantastic.
I then worked my hardest to get that beast up the stairs and around the landing as best humanly possible. It took every ounce of skill I had, and all my experience as a former national motorcycle trials champion to get the scene done. To make matters worse; they lit the bike on fire as I rode up the steps!
That motorcycle now sits in the American Motorcycle Museum in Ohio. I'm really happy that the bike found a good home and was not destroyed.
-Can you tell us more about this bike and how you got it up a flight of stairs with so much style?
I worked my butt off! It took me a week to build the bike off the dirt bike foundation. Then I practiced a lot riding up the stairs with the machine. We had a series of problems that I worked out as I went. One being the lexan windscreen, which hit me in the forehead riding up the stairs in practice, which cut me open really badly. How I overcame this problem was to remove the hard windscreen, and practice without it. Then I made a soft plastic windscreen and used lead solder around the outside edge to hold the shape. That way when the front end went up the stairs, and the windscreen hit my heat, it did not cut me up. It took a lot of practice and modifications to the machine, but finally we got a really good run up the stairs for the movie. So that short scene had over 2 weeks of planning and testing before it could be pulled off.
How many takes did it take to ride a police motorcycle up a flight of stairs with the precision of a machine?
I'd say at least, 7 or 8 attempts. It was shot 2nd unit, so only a few people where on set. Plus the hallway and stairs were tiny, so nobody could be in there but a camera and the motorcycle.
Did you get to interact with the T-1000 himself (Robert Patrick)? If so, what is he like off camera and how similar were you in size/frame/fitness at the time you both filmed T2?
Robert Patrick was really into the character, he did a amazing job. I have worked with him several times after that show but never really talked to him much about the project. I was the motorcycle double, and suppose I was about the only person who could have gotten that bike up the steps, partly because I knew how to build a bike that would double the real police bike and still look like the real deal. The regular double for Robert was Bob Brown, who is Robert's regular double at the time. Bob is one of the finest stuntmen around. Yes I was a decent double for Robert, but so was Bob, and Bob is a better all around stuntman than I was.
Did anyone mistake you on the set for Robert when you put the police helmet and sunglasses on? Are there cases of mistaken identity when stuntmen are walking around looking like the actors? Especially when they have prosthetics/wigs/costume?
We are often mistaken for the actors we double. You get used to it and fess up as soon as you can, nobody really needs an autograph of a stuntman. We are simply glad to be working.
Were you involved in any of the other installments to the Terminator saga and if so,- what was your involvement and contribution to those projects?
yes, I came out and fought again in on T2 3D from beginning to end, Jim was the director and he brought back the whole T2 team. We filmed at Desert Center at the old Kaiser Steel mine that fed the steel mill. So it had plenty of carnage and landscape. In areas like that we can blow up things and nobody cares because there isn't anything for 20 miles. It was a fun project and still runs at Universal studios as an attraction. For me it was the icing on the cake for the Terminator chapter in my career. The Sarah Connor Chronicles was fun to work on too.
What was your experience of working on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles?
That show was a down and dirty, exploitation TV show. It was fun but the cast got really tired of the show and didn't really want to go on anymore. We had fun, made some money and moved on.
Most people involved with The Terminator (1984) did not anticipate the success of the picture, what was your impression after reading the script, what was your overall opinion of the story and did you think it would turn out to be a cult hit?
I read the script for Terminator, but not for T-2, many times the script changes as you shoot. I just showed up everyday, prepared and in a mood to work hard.
Both you and your wife worked on Terminator movies, do you have a special affinity for the franchise?
Yes, my wife was Linda's stunt double, so I guess I was trying to kill my wife at one point. We both love this movie and are very proud to have been a part of it. We still have some real props tucked away from the film, including real liquid metal bullet hit actually from Robert Patrick as he was coming through the hospital. The scene where he has to turn the gun sideways to get through the door. Our conference room has chairs around our table, which are from Cyberdyne and of course the T-2 Police bike I rode up the stairs is ours,- just on loan to the Museum.
- has your mutual need to overcome risk with your careers and common interest in performing as a stunt actors helped to keep the passion alive in your relationship?
My wife is the most amazing person I've ever met. She never stops amazing me, she just won her 7th Red Bull World Stunt Award for Best work with a vehicle for Date Night.
You have been in a good number of Schwarzenegger movies and have even been "killed" by him, what was it like to first meet the Austrian Oak and work with him on a professional level?
It was great to first meet Arnold, my first Arnold picture was Commando, in that movie he cut off the top of my head with a circular saw blade thrown like a firsbee.
All BS aside, I love Arnold, he is one of the greatest, funniest, most pleasurable guys to ever work with. He almost never complains and is really happy to be working. Plus I respect him for his business sense, sporting accomplishments and overall professionalism. He can be blunt and a little forward but sometimes that's what it takes to get through the long and difficult hours we spend on the set to get it all done. I'm really sorry that he is having some personal troubles at the moment. I only wish him the very best.
When making music videos for stars such as Rihanna and the late Nsync, is there ever an issue with covering wires (when necessary) for aesthetics? Or does this get airbrushed out later on by a different department?
Wires are removed in post, by computer.
Your company Leavitation has an amazing list of credits to its name, from different industries such as t.v, music, advertising and movies. How does it feel to have created and contributed so many exhilarating, dangerous and spectacular stunts to the entertainment industry over the years?
Just very happy that the phone keeps ringing. I try not to think or live in the past, only plan and prepare for the future.
Would you say that leavittation as a company is more a professional machine or a family unit of great friends and family... ?
Leavittation is a moving target. On the door of the stunt Lab, we have a sign, which can be seen on our YouTube videos which states; through these doors go the most creative people in the motion picture industry. I try to live up to that bold statement every time I walk through those stunt lab doors. You can watch our videos on YouTube by searching stunt lab.
Is it hard when working with loved-ones, to stand back and allow them the space to put themselves at physical risk?
No, I look at each stunt, for it merits and would not put anyone in a spot unless they are capable of pulling it off.
Apparently Bill Wisher (co-writer of T1 & T2) has written script treatments for T5 & T6, this was reported last year, post-Terminator Salvation, Does this interest you at all?
Yes I hope they do it well. My opinion is that only Jim could do it right.
So that leads us to ask the question... would you come back for Terminator 5 & 6 if asked and if challenged would you be willing to advance your creations or develop new ones to bring the fans more jaw dropping Terminator action?
It's never a question of 'will' you go back, it's if they will have you back? I'm willing but I must be able to bring something amazing to the table or else I don't deserve to be on their team. So, my job is to get into the stunt lab, create new and innovative ideas, action and stunts they want for their movie.
Talks are now in progress concerning Universal acquiring the rights to Terminator with Justin Lin at the helm along with writer Chris Morgan, Terminator fans find this move questionable to say the least, having met Justin Lin yourself (working with him and his team on Fast Five) do you think he can handle the high expectations of an unhappy fanbase?
Are you trying to get me in trouble? Actually, I'd work with them and have had contact with both of them, but only in passing. It's possible that it would work, I had not heard they where in the mix until now. Being the head of a studio is an interesting and difficult position to be in. These men saved the Fast and the Furious franchise, if anybody could do it besides Jim, I'd put my money on these two.
If you and your team got to work on another Terminator picture what kind of stunts could you make the Arnold of today perform to show that he can still be the Terminator and also push the limits of stunts beyond T2... ?
Story drives the stunts, not the stunts driving the story. The director also drives the action, both the 2nd unit and the main unit director. We are simply servants to their vision, but if they say to us, kill, crash and destroy. Stand back!
You have worked with so many professionally talented people in the industry, who do you think should be involved with Terminator 5 to make the action side of things feel more like the first 2 movies, fans expect the next movie to be the war movie Terminator Salvation wasn't, how much action and practical stunts could the next film contain if the budget matched that of the last 2 pictures which was so lacking in the 3rd and 4th movies... ?
3 men come to mind, Joel Kramer, the stunt coordinator from T-2, Sprio Razatos, 2nd unit director from Fast 5 or Dan Bradley who did the last Bond 2nd unit and the Bourne series.
What was your opinion of Terminator 3 and Terminator Salvation... can we really call them true Terminator movies?
I'd like to pass on this question... but I was a little disappointed.
Do you think the PG-13 rating killed Terminator?
No opinion on the PG-13 rating, that is simply a business decision by the suits.
You are also known for your stunt rig creations can you tell us more about the Airramp, Leavittator, and High Speed Desender? (Was the Leavittator used in terminator 2)?
We have used a lot of my gear on the Arnold movies. The airramp and the rest of the gear can be seen on the Stunt Lab videos, if a picture is worth a 1000 words, a video is worth 10,000. You can see a lot of my inventions there.
Please tell us about the Harley Fat Boy Canal Jump if not included in these creations,- which stuntman got the pleasure of driving your creation and did you test drive it yourself, if so what was the experience like?
I laid out the concept for the rig, the FX crew built it and it was tested and ridden by the stunt crew. It was ridden by Peter Kent, one of Arnold's doubles, who really looked just like him. It was basically an overhead crane style rig, like you world see on a construction site. It has a top line to bare the weight, with a traveler, that hangs the bike and rider. Then a vehicle pulled the motorcycle and rider along the line and the bike and rider could be lowered and raised on the wires, making it really sell as a jump.
What is next for Leavittation and are there any upcoming projects which you and your colleagues are excited by?
We are doing a ton of commercials, pays the bills and we are having a lot of fun.
Thanks for the great interview Lane! -TheTerminatorFans.com
