Tom Cruise is well known for taking on his own terrifying stunts for the Mission: Impossible films – even convincing pro stunt performers that he could be one of them if acting hadn’t panned out for him.
Greg Powell is a veteran in the stunt world, growing up on movie sets and having more than 40 years of experience in the industry.
While he would usually discourage actors from trying to take on too many intense stunts, due to the risks it poses to them and the delays that it could cause to production if they get injured, he admitted Tom is ‘an exception to the rule.’
Greg, who has worked on Mission: Impossible with the actor, explained to Metro.co.uk as he stars in BritBox’s documentary Hollywood Bulldogs: ‘The thing is, if he wasn’t an actor, he’d be a very good stuntman.
‘He can actually do it. He’s very safe, he knows what he can do and what he can’t do. You’re there watching him doing it. Tom’s a very sensible guy – and he can do more than most.
‘He is an exception to the rule because there’s not too many Hollywood actors as big as him, worth as much money as him, who want to be hanging off the side of a plane or the building in Dubai – let someone else do it! But he gives the audience what they want – Tom Cruise.’
Greg says Tom knows his limits (Picture: Rex)
Greg, the son of another iconic stuntman, Fred ‘Nosher’ Powell, has worked on just about every action franchise you could imagine, and is now starring in Britbox’s new documentary, which looks back on the origins of the stunt industry and how some of the biggest stars in the business made their names.
Speaking about some of the most memorable moments he’s had with actors he’s worked with, he recalled: ‘Working with Cruise, the fantastic Roger Moore, I loved. My all-time favourite, because of what he was and how he’s not around anymore, was Richard Burton. I loved him.
‘I’ve known Roger [Moore] since I was a kid because my father used to work with him on The Saint. And I used to go down to rehearsal rooms or wherever as a kid, I was probably barely 10 then. And then I met Roger a few times as a kid and then started working with him on the Bonds and The Wild Geese – it’s a big family.’
Greg is a titan in the stunt world
With his decades of experience in the stunt world, Greg has seen huge changes made to the industry, including the rise of CGI.
While he acknowledges that CGI now somewhat ‘runs the show’ in Hollywood, he’s certain that it will never replace stunt performers.
‘I think CGI will always be there but I think stuntmen will come out at the top and be doing it all again – proper stunts. I think there’ll be more live action stuff.
‘I don’t have a problem with CGI. CGI is fantastic. But I love live action. I’m not knocking CGI, I think it’s fantastic, the work they’re doing. But I still prefer live action, where you’re doing actual stunts on a location.’
‘There are always going to be stunt people, even in CGI,’ he added. ‘When you’re doing motion capture stuff, the stunt guys and girls are running round doing their stuff which they transfer onto the monster or whatever they’re going to do. So I’m not threatened by it at all.’
Meanwhile, with his participation in Hollywood Bulldogs, Greg’s hoping he can correct some misconceptions about stunt performers.
‘I hope they appreciate what the guys went through to get what they’ve done,’ he explained, referencing titans of the industry Ray Austin, Vic Armstrong, and Rocky Taylor.
‘I hope people appreciate what we’ve done and I really want people not to think of us as daredevils or just numbnuts! That we’re just thick people – we’re not. We’re not daring people – we’ve got to come out at the other end of it.
‘Daredevils and stuntmen are two different things. Daredevils do it and hope they get away with it. Stuntmen do it because they’ve got to go back and do it again, and again, and again. That’s the difference.’
Source: metro
