Original subtitles

Peter MacDonald: Alright. Ready? Okay, David?

Roll cameras!

-camera operator: Speed. -assistant director: Camera speed!

Peter: And action!

♪♪

(grunts, panting)

-crew member: Bang! -(bang, rocks clatter)

-(bang) -(wires reeling)

-(crew chatters) -Peter: Well done, David. Good boy.

David Holmes: Being a stuntman is the best job in the world.

Peter: Well done, David.

(gurgling)

David: You're constantly being tested,

constantly pushing boundaries.

Peter: Action!

David: Just risking it all.

assistant camera: This'll be X603 take 1.

Peter: Action!

-Cut it! -(whoosh)

David: I'm a person that has to move to think.

(bang, rocks clattering)

For my brain to be working 100%...

-Peter: Action! -(screaming)

David: ...I need to be moving, I need to be in motion.

(panting)

I was a great believer in pressure makes diamonds.

The more pressure, the better I was.

-Peter: Cut! -assistant director: Cut!

(screaming)

(indistinct chatter)

David: And honestly,

I wasn't really scared that much.

You're only living when you're nearly dying.

Yeah, I used to fly.

Not so much anymore.

Peter (on megaphone): Well done. Very nice.

-(indistinct crew chatter) -(applause)

(quiet street noise)

♪♪

Daniel Radcliffe: Yeah, it's him. Hey! Hey!

-(dog barking) -Hey! Yeah, yeah, yeah!

-Hey, man. (indistinct) -Oh, it's been ages. You alright?

-You alright? You well? -Daniel: Been so fuckin' long. Yeah, good.

Totally normally thing to enter with a small film crew,

-obviously. -Yeah, it's fine.

Just totally normal and natural for us.

(birds chirping)

David: Right, you ready, Tom? Yeah? Let's go.

(mumbling)

-Right. Let me-- -One, two, three. Hey.

-Dan, squeeze my seatbelt in. Can you help Tommy? -Daniel: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David: You got it?

-We ain't got the dog yet. -Tommy Wells: I'll get the dog.

Get her, uh, harness and bev.

-Let's go take the dog for a walk on camera. -(both laugh)

Get in the car, all that bullshit, forgot the dog.

(whining)

So, this is where I get over-stimulated, right?

-Right. Yeah. -'Cause I don't leave the same four walls a lot.

Soon as I go out, I'm like every tree,

the change of the color, every bit of light.

It makes me really take it in and really like

just embrace our area 'cause I'm so--

-I dunno, it's like escaping prison. -Yeah.

-Tommy: Where do you wanna be? Where do you wanna go, Dave? -David: Uh,

-I'm thinking of surfaces and all that lot. -Tommy: Right.

Should we go up to the nature reserve

and try 10 minutes in nature?

(squawking)

(barking)

David: I never told my story.

I never really wanted to.

Harry Potter's a big thing for a lot of people,

and nobody knows what happened to me.

♪♪

I've had such a crazy life.

-(whirring) -Such highs and such lows.

The full range of human emotion.

I just thought I'd better tell my story,

or it won't be told.

(soft music playing)

-(seagulls cawing) -(waves washing ashore)

(kids screaming)

♪♪

Sue Holmes: Smile! Look this way!

Shall we go and have a cup of tea now?

-Come on then, get yourselves out. -No!

David: I grew up with two brothers,

so it was three boys.

Uh, all small, but loads of energy.

(playful scream)

Paul Holmes: Do a funny face!

(kids chattering)

Sue: It was hectic. (laughs)

They were three very energetic boys.

Very, very energetic.

-(rumbling) -(yelling)

One of the big differences between the two older boys

was Paul was very determined, very strong-willed,

and David was so laid-back.

He went in for something for the shear fun of it.

Of course, Robin Hood.

David insisting he can do this one himself.

-Big gaps between these. -(kids chattering)

And he was adventurous.

Daddy being a pest as usual.

(kid screams)

He had no concept of fear.

Whether it was ignorance, we don't know.

But, seriously, he never had a concept of fear.

(screaming, laughing)

Sue: I would be sitting in the background, worrying,

but because I knew the boys would always have a fight

on their hands because of their size.

If they could try and do something, I let them do it.

(indistinct chatter)

-Andy Holmes: Come on, David. -Sue: Come on, David!

♪♪

David: And Mom found gymnastics was a great way of us

expelling that energy.

So, I spent from 5 years old

till 18 years old,

five to six days a week in a gymnastics club.

-This is David, David Holmes. Hi, David. -Hi.

-They have to be correct hand-spring vaults. -Yeah.

presenter: So, what's the difference between a good one

-and a bad one? -Well, a good one is where you sort of, like,

have a nice run up, a nice bounce with the springboard,

reach for the ends, push off with your hands,

and land it.

-And that's a good one. What's a bad one? -Yeah.

A bad one is where you don't get a good run up,

-and that messes it up, so... -(laughter)

Andy: I remember we went to America.

He was probably... (sighs)

11, maybe, at that stage,

and, um, he said,

on camera, I used to use a video camera then, he said...

He already wanted to be a stuntman, and it was--

That was in his mind at a really early age.

That was well before he got involved with his first films.

And at the time, his trainer

was a stuntman himself

and, of course, that gave him the opening

for that whole conversation.

And after that, it was like full-on gym for a purpose.

David: Nothing else was important to me.

I knew I was gonna be a stuntman, and that was it.

-(galloping) -(indistinct chatter)

presenter: Some of the more difficult stunts

are handled by professionals who double for the actors.

Greg Powell: My dad got into the business

in the '40s, but at that time,

it was just extras who was given a few extra pounds

just to do-- take some tumbles.

(jazz music playing)

Bouncers or ex-gangsters

or whatever they was, you know?

And then, from there his brother come into it.

Then, years later, me.

(crashing)

-Then, my brother. -(horn honking)

And now, my daughter.

(cinematic music playing)

It's a big family business for us.

And I remember one day,

I needed a kid to double the kids on "Lost in Space."

-(beeping, rumbling) -(cinematic music playing)

So, I rung Jeff Hewitt-Davis

'cause he had a gymnastic gym and everything

and asked to give me

a selection of kids to, uh, have a look at.

(cheering and applause)

And out of that, you know,

I got David.

It was something about him, you know? (laughs)

He was quite funny 'cause he was in every conversation

around a thing, he-- bump, he's there, looking up at ‘em.

"Dave, don't do that," you know what I mean?

Next minute, he's over there, "Dave, don't do that." (laughs)

♪♪

David: Imagine being 14 and walking on a film set,

and the film set was, like, a spaceship.

(beeping)

I had to jump and dive away from a pyrotechnic.

And I was hooked. That was it.

And then, I didn't see Greg for a couple of years.

Okay, boys. Tonight's homework.

David: Until a one-day film shoot

on "Bedazzled" with Liz Hurley.

Well, you're never gonna use that, are you?

(laughter, chatter)

David: And on that day, Greg took my phone number.

I can't remember the conversation exactly.

What I remember is that I mentioned Harry Potter,

and he knew straight away, you know,

-about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. -("Hedwig's Theme" playing)

I knew it was big 'cause of the books

and the storm around the books,

but I had no idea how big it was gonna be.

(excited kids chattering)

And literally within two weeks, I was on set.

assistant camera: Alright take one, A and B cameras, common mark.

-assistant director: Set! And background action! -Chris Columbus: Action!

-(joyful music playing) -David: And I got the job.

I got the lead stunt double for Daniel on the Potter films.

Chris: And cut.

It's been so long since you last reminded me...

David: I first started talking to Dan and interacting with him

when we went to Alnwick Castle.

Quidditch is easy enough to understand.

Each team has seven players.

Three chasers, two beaters, one keeper, and a seeker.

That's you.

Daniel: It would have been around that scene

where I'm going out with Oliver Wood, who's the captain

of the Quidditch team played by Sean Biggerstaff,

and they take out like a box of all the Quidditch balls,

and he, like, gives me a bat.

You better take this.

-(whimsical music playing) -(box rattling)

-(snap) -(Bludger snarling)

Chris: Set and action.

-(Daniel scoffs) -crew member: Alright. Here's another ball.

Chris: Set and action!

(scoffs)

David: The way he swung the bat,

Greg just looked at me and said...

I think we got a bit of work to do here.

It just looked awkward the way he did it.

It's fine. You know, kids swing a bat, it's fine.

But, you know when you look at someone

and think that could be better.

Daniel: I must have been really bad.

I can picture it. I was not a well-coordinated child.

(set chatter)

David: So, from then onwards, I was basically

Dan's PE coach.

It was basically me being told,

"You get to hang out with this guy,

"this cool older kid, three times a week.

He's gonna be your friend now."

♪♪

He could just stand there and do a back flip,

and he was not shy about showing you that.

So, like, as an 11-year-old. I was like,

"You're the coolest person I have ever seen."

(wires reeling)

David: I just shut the door for the stunt stores,

and I just let him be a kid.

Doing some gymnastics and some fighting,

boxing, sword fighting, and playing.

We'd go out for a jog throughout all of the year,

so that was part of his routine.

Twice a week, he'd come over to me,

and we'd just have a mess-around.

And then we built up a really close relationship.

Daniel: He was only a few years older than me,

so he just seemed like a cool older brother.

I never treated him like a kid. He was always my mate.

Never ever thought that he was younger.

Obviously, doing physical stuff,

you have to just tread carefully,

but as a person, no.

I've always talked to him on the same level.

assistant director: Right. Everyone, quiet, please! Quiet.

Daniel: I couldn't fully tell how lucky I was.

I didn't have any context for how remarkable it was,

but I knew I was in the middle of something really special,

and I knew that, like, I wanted to give it

100% every time I was there.

♪♪

But there were so many things that were just said about us

from pretty much the beginning.

As soon as I got the part, there was an article

the next day being like, "His life's ruined,

and he will never be anything but this character."

I was aware that that was a narrative

that was said about me.

Chris: Excellent.

So, Dan, we're trying some glasses on you.

Can you hold your head up a little bit?

Daniel: I remember telling Emma and Rupert,

"You know, we must never get big-headed.

"Like, this is very-- People think--

Everyone's saying that's gonna happen to us."

I was determined not to let that happen.

David: He was a young kid like I was in "Lost In Space"

in this amazing environment,

surrounded by grown-ups, you know,

just finding his feet as a young man.

(crowd cheering)

(fans screaming)

♪♪

-(shutters snapping) -Daniel: It's unbelievable.

It's slightly overwhelming, but still, it's amazing.

-interviewer: Excited? -Yeah.

-(indistinct) -A bit freaked.

(crowd screaming)

David: I could enjoy it as a young adult a lot better.

I mean, could you imagine?

I just got given the best job in the world.

18 years old, I had a check for 65,000 pounds.

And I spent it all on sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

interviewer: Daniel, do you think your life

is ever going to be the same again?

I think if my life was gonna change,

it would've changed by now. It really hasn't that much.

On a day-to-day level, I was a teenager at home

living with my parents.

And then, I went to work,

which also, by that point, felt normal.

Amazing. I'll never--

I'll never think of myself as a star though.

I can promise you.

(excited screaming)

-Rupert Grint: What's happening? -Daniel: I don't know!

Chris: Look up. Look up. You see the tree coming.

-Tree comes down and hits! -(creaks)

-(Rupert and Daniel screaming) -(banging)

Hit the bonnet harder, guys. And it hits again!

-(bang) -(screaming)

And it comes, and it hits again!

-(screaming) -(bang)

-You guys alright? Excellent. -Daniel/Rupert: Yeah!

That was great. Let's see playback on that.

-Even at 24 frames... -Daniel: There's a certain version of it

that the world wanted to see

which is the kids being best friends.

But the people that I was closest to

are all the people from the crew.

That's Will. He's odd. (giggles)

Annie is always right about everything.

-And it's the Flying Scotsman Steve! -(Will laughs)

-Annie: Gray Goose! He's off! -(indistinct)

Daniel: I still say to people

if you're ever gonna, like, end up on set,

there are certain departments

where you just, like, go hang with them,

Like, they'll be a pretty good time. Like stunts--

Like, some of the happiest times on my set

has just been, like, listening to stuntmen

tell stories to each other, and it is like they're--

They're amazing people.

-Close the door! Open the door! -(performers grunt)

-Shut the boot! And show the guns! -(grunting)

♪♪

They're all characters. All the stunt guys,

they're all characters in their own way,

and different sorts of characters.

(laughter)

Daniel: The joke was always that you'd drive up to set,

and there'd be sports cars with personalized number plates,

and you're like, okay, this is where the stunt guys are.

Peter, do you want that top one tacked as well?

Tolga Kenan: It was a great team.

I was an apprentice,

I'd just turned 10 at the time,

and I had my first stunt with Dave.

Basically, he ran up, barged me over,

I fell onto the floor...

-(indistinct) -He was great.

He would just give me genuine advice,

took me under his wing,

and that level of guidance from Dave never stopped.

If anything, it just got more and more.

I remember him telling me to shave. (laughs)

You know that stuff that, like, your, your dad might tell you,

he would do-- he was like, "Yeah, I just always wanna help."

The Neville Longbottom stunt was a prime example of that.

Neville, I'm really, really sorry about this.

-Petrificus totalus. -(wand zaps)

I just said to him, "Tolga,

"what's important is you just keep shape

"and try and land without breaking the hips

and breaking the fall in any way."

(thud)

Tolga: Everyone was gobsmacked.

I didn't even know what I'd done. I just--

I mean, I was hurting, (laughs) obviously.

It's so good. He hits it so flat and so square.

This is a fall that is now colloquially known

in the industry as the "Tolga fall".

Can both of you just bungle me? Jump on top of me, okay?

And you can grab my nose, pull my chin up,

-and you can grab my feet and pull my feet up. -Right, okay.

Okay, so I'm down here, and bungle me, guys.

(all grunting, struggling)

What a great job.

You get paid to play.

But there is an art form to it.

There's a whole qualification to gain.

You have to do six sports to a ridiculously high level.

Very few people actually make it to the end.

-(set chatter) -Daniel: I really wanted to be a stuntman,

so I was like, can you get the list of requirements

to be a stuntman? I think I entertained it

for a second in the way that you do

as an 11-year-old when you're, like,

really into this idea for, like, two weeks,

and then, you're like, "Ah, shit.

"I'll probably just keep doing this.

I don't think I'll ever be able to backflip like Dave can."

(cinematic music playing)

(Golden Snitch flapping, whirring)

I reckon I've probably got more broomstick air miles

than any other human being on the planet,

and that will probably be stuck for a few years.

-Mike Newell: Cut it! -(whirring)

David: I was up there for, like, six hours a day,

just lining up, rehearsing each shot,

strap onto the broom, strap off of the broom.

Daniel: Oh, my God.

What a nightmare that was.

Very, very uncomfortable.

There was a bike saddle on a broom,

and then if your legs were hanging down,

you're just like-- It's really

quite sore after a while.

Here we go!

But Dave was up there, my God, Dave was up there

-so much longer than I was. -Mike: Right, gonna start, very slow rehearsal.

David: Okay, start the wind,

make the camera movement...

(inaudible)

Mike: Three, two, one, action!

♪♪

David: ...and now, imagine hours and hours of that

against a blue screen. That was my life for years.

I was up there doing all the dangerous rehearsals

to know what Dan was safe to do.

Mike: Alright, here we go.

♪♪

You felt comfortable leaving them guys

'cause that was-- that's their job.

But, with this one, it was-- to me, it was different

because they was all very, very close.

Greg: You're not just looking after an artist there.

You're looking after your pal 'cause that's how they become.

It wasn't just you turned up on the film,

do your job, and disappear.

They turn up for nearly 10 years,

each year with their pals.

Mike: That was great! Cut!

I remember Greg. You'd always, like, smell him before--

You'd be like, "Greg's here. Greg's nearby,"

'cause you could smell the cigar.

(laughter)

And he was great. Like, he was so fantastic,

particularly with the kids,

and I think, you know, he got the sense from us, as well,

that we loved it, and that we were like, "Yeah,

"we're gonna be allowed to just, like, dive off stuff into crash mats?

Please let us do that. We're 10. We're invincible."

(laughing)

We grew up together at the studios.

It was just like, obviously,

a very different childhood,

but we tried to just be as normal as possible.

Greg: When they say about a family on a film,

it definitely was. And it grew.

You know, as the film went on, you know, we got more people in.

Me and Marc started getting close when I was about 18,

when I was, on the weekends, going out and partying.

We met dancing. He used to breakdance,

and I used to breakdance.

Marc Mailley: Dave would be coming down from Romford,

and every time he'd introduce himself,

"Hi, I'm Dave!" Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And, obviously, "I'm Harry Potter's stuntman."

And I was like, "Yeah, alright, mate. Whatever."

'Cause I didn't, I didn't know of Harry Potter.

I didn't really read books. I was 17.

I was just out drinking,

doing what else I shouldn't have been doing.

And then, we started a dance group.

Three boys, three girls,

getting paid to dance for people

in some really nice clubs around London and that.

♪♪

David: I took him down to gymnastics club once,

and I was, like, showing him how to do a back flip,

and he done a backflip.

I showed him how to go around a bar.

He long swing around the bar.

Marc: I was always quite a bit of a daredevil anyway,

and always liked to try anything that was a bit dangerous.

And at the time, I wanted to be a carpenter.

That's why I'd done the apprenticeship.

And I was just like, "You're too talented."

Marc: So, Dave took me into the studios to, uh,

show Greg things that Dave had taught me.

I think he pretty much went, "Quit your job.

Come work for me."

And that's how I got out of all the building work

thanks to Dave taking me to work to meet Greg.

-Greg: One! -(lines reeling)

(both laugh)

Marc, you know, got in to know Dan very well,

and it was like the Marx Brothers, the three of them,

you know, always together, playing around, doing stuff.

Daniel: Marc is similar to Dave

in that way that's like you meet them,

and you just wanna be with them.

You want people like that around you on your team

when you're trying to do something.

Unless something is actually impossible,

they will figure out a way of doing it.

At some point on these films,

they got access to two Russian swings,

so that they could, like, do things

where they collide with each other in the air.

(shouts)

(indistinct)

They would do the most crazy,

dangerous physical stuff, make it look easy,

and not even be doing it for camera.

Just be doing it to, like, practice

or just for fun with Marc

'cause they were seeing how far they could push each other.

♪♪

Marc: We thought we were invincible.

We would try and do things, especially Dave.

Things that no one was doing, no one thought was possible.

Fear's natural,

but I've always wanted to be it.

As a gymnast, I would always be the one.

It'd never be pretty,

but it'd be the most dangerous move.

I'd be the one up for it.

If it's a test of guts, it would be me

that would be winning it.

Mike: Cut! Cut it.

(dragon roaring)

-(roars) -(crowd gasps)

Daniel: I was allowed to do stuff on Potter

that I would never get to do now.

-(bang) -(rocks clattering)

-Mike: And cut. You okay, Dan? Cameras cut! -Daniel: Yeah.

But because they were training me,

they knew that I was okay with it.

So, like, Dave could go on set with me, and be like,

"No, he can do this."

(flames whoosh)

"You know, it's fine."

(banging, rocks clattering)

-(flame roaring) -(crew laughter, chatter)

That's something that I'll never get again.

(screaming)

(grunting, panting)

David: We were doing all of the action sequences

shot with me first.

(panting)

(yells)

Then, Dan would come in

and utilize his time to just copy what I'd done.

(dragon snarling)

(grunts)

-(screaming) -(cinematic music playing)

-(applause) -Daniel: I did the roof fall,

and I remember the feeling of, like,

realizing how different

35 feet looks from the air

and not from the ground.

But, you know, I did a bit of that fall.

I did the close-up.

Dave did that thing many, many times.

♪♪

He did so much for me that was

crazy.

Some of the, you know, the Quidditch falls

off the broom that he's done.

♪♪

Every time you see someone get blasted across the floor

and hitting stone, that was,

you know, that was Dave.

(crew applauding)

You'd go home driving after a day's work like that,

nothing's like it, man.

If you could bottle that feeling,

you'd be a rich man. You know, it's amazing.

It's not just the adrenaline come down.

-It's handling the pressure. -(gurgling)

It's a mad feeling.

It's nice being good at something.

♪♪

Greg: What was nice about it

was that they all grew up together.

Trained together. They used to play together.

Probably out the back smoking together.

You know, all that sort of stuff going on.

And I managed to be able to keep them guys

nigh on 10 years on every film.

So, you know, when Dan turned up,

he knew David was there,

Tolga was there, Marc was there.

(inaudible)

It was the same crew,

so you got confidence in that people,

and they used to look after him.

Turn around. Got you. That's it. There you go.

Ah! (indistinct)

Daniel: Greg had seen how good Davey was,

was gonna like, be tough on him,

but also was just gonna, you know, nurture him.

David: Our relationship quite often went between

professional and paternal.

You know, I really looked up to him.

He's, he's... (sighs) Should I say this?

The son I never had, really. I've got two daughters,

which is fantastic, you know,

uh, and Dave's sort of, uh, come in there,

and, uh, I sort of took that father role with him,

and I think he used to do the same

'cause some of the phone calls I used to get from him,

I'm like, "Why are you calling me?" (laughs)

But it was like that, you know? Uh, yeah, it was brilliant.

-Dan Hartley: Until it wasn't. -Until it wasn't. Yeah.

♪♪

(cars honking)

(red carpet chatter)

Daniel: After the sixth film came out, Davey and Marc

came to New York to see me in a, a play I'd done there

and stayed with me, and we had, like, a few days

of just, like, um, hanging out.

Marc: He arranged for us to fly out there, first class.

Car picked us up from the house.

Like, unbelievable experience, you know,

especially his best friends together gonna do it, just like,

I was just like, "Is this actually happening?

This is something out of a dream."

♪♪

Daniel: You know, you feel both really cool

and really inferior having friends like Marc and Dave,

'cause when we went 'round New York,

they were just flag poling off everything in New York.

So, they would just get onto a lamppost,

and just, like, pop into a flagpole.

Marc: We had a great time with Dan. He has a beautiful flat.

We done some lovely shopping

and done some really cool things there,

and me and Dave, we always just had a good time.

Me and Dave never argue. We've never argued.

And then, we come back, and then, a few weeks later,

couldn't have more the opposite.

Sort of a time of your life,

from having the best time of your life, surreal,

dreamy, to absolute nightmare, this isn't happening.

-(birds chirping) -(wind blowing)

(bird cawing)

♪♪

crew member: And three, two, one, go!

-(line reeling) -crew: Whoa!

David: We were rehearsing for the snake attack

in part one of seven.

It was a, a jerk back into a--

in theory, through a wall in the fight with Nagini.

The snake just like, torpedoes into the middle of him,

into his mid-section, and pushes him through the wall

into, like, the neighbor's nursery.

Greg: You're on a cable, uh, a pulley system,

and you put, like, 20 pounds in-- Bang.

You know. Then, you start, "Right, okay, that's 20 pounds.

Let's do it again." He's landed in the same spot, you know.

"Right, just up it. Put another 10 in it." You go--

So, I, personally, I just put someone on it

and just gradually 10 pound, 10 pound,

until we actually get to where we want.

We'd done the jerk the day before,

and it was a bit of a hard jerk. Like, causing a bit of a whack.

Dave done it, he was like, "'Cor, that's a bit hard."

There's a few things said about it after, like,

"Is the weight bag the right weight for Dave?"

I said, "That's alright, Dave. I'll do this one."

'Cause he done one yesterday,

(sniffs) and I go, "I've got my harness on.

I'll just do it. You know, it's fine." He was like,

"No, no, no. No, it's my stunt. I'll do it."

I was standing there. Dave was literally

standing in front of me. They've rigged the--

Boys are over there on the wires

and all the safety boys are around,

everything like that.

Marc: And the last thing I said to Dave just before he went,

I was like, (scoffs) "After yesterday, Dave,

"I think this one should be, uh,

this one should be a lot easier."

♪♪

Dave just sort of straightened his collar like that,

put your chin on your chest.

-Standby! And... -Greg: Everyone ready?

-Three, two, one, boom. -(buzzer)

As soon as I left the floor,

as soon as I had the load hit me in the wires,

I thought, "Nope, that's too big."

Like a blur. It was just-- It was unreal.

I've never seen a human being move that fast even to this day.

I remember hitting the wall, my chest folding into my nose.

I was fully conscious throughout the whole thing.

So he's smashed into the wall, and now, he's just hanging there

like a, like a puppet with his strings cut.

He was just literally sagging there,

hanging from a wire from the wall.

So, there was a lot of, uh...

(sniffles, mumbles)

(soft gasp)

He just, uh...

Yeah, in hindsight, but it was just--

A lot of things changed on Dave's pull

that we didn't see on the rehearsal.

That's hard. Mm...

Greg: That was the worst day.

The worst, the worst--

My worst day ever, but definitely the worst day

in the film business that I've ever had.

He literally said, straightaway, he's like, "I've broke my neck."

He said, "I can feel it."

And he literally, his hands, he was pointing like,

"I've broke my neck. It's here. I can feel it." So...

Yeah, so... Yeah, so we got him down

on the crash mat, and, uh,

I just remember Greg really pinching his leg,

really pinching and going,

"Can you feel that Dave?" And he's going, "What?"

(indistinct) (sniffles)

(sighs)

(voice breaking) I just remember that's when it was bad.

And then I, inside, I started to panic,

but you can't show that because he's there.

And, you know, "Can't feel me legs, Gov."

"I know. You'll be alright. Lay there."

"No, can't feel me legs, Gov." He, he knew.

♪♪

Sue: Andy was working in the study at home

and I got a phone call from Marc,

and he was very light-hearted, and he just said,

"Oh, Sue, can you tell me who David's doctor is?"

I remember straight after breaking my neck,

I said to Marc, "Don't ring my mum.

She's got enough to worry about."

And then, as they was taking me to the hospital, I'm like,

"Marc, you better ring me mum."

And then, the next call I got was,

"We think you'd better come down straightaway." And literally,

I knew, there and then, something drastic was wrong.

(thunder rumbling)

We arrived at the hospital,

and Greg and Marc were outside the door,

and all they said was, "David's broken his neck."

And I-I just lost it.

I sat in the corner of that room all night and cried.

(gasps)

Because I'm supposed to put a plaster on there

and make it better.

And I couldn't. (gasps, sniffles)

(sniffling)

Andy: He was presented with the fact

that it was a pretty serious injury.

He needed to have an operation

because at that stage, potentially at any time,

it could have been fatal.

(machines hissing, whirring)

David: I woke up straight after surgery,

and there's all the people that you love around you.

(inhales) You say, "Oh man,

I wish I didn't have to put you through this."

And then, you know, he went into a room with a doctor.

Then, they called me in. It was just me and the doctor

and David laying there.

I said, "Look, instead of you telling me the bad news,

can I tell you what I think's the bad news?"

And I said, "Yeah, I'm paralyzed from here.

"I'm full motor and sensory paralysis.

"I'm a complete injury, so it means

there's no chance of coming back."

She was like, "Yep, yep, yep." (weak laugh)

It was meant to be a spectacular scene

to bring the latest Harry Potter film to life,

but this evening, it's feared that Daniel Radcliffe's double

has been left paralyzed after a stunt went badly wrong.

Paramedics arrived minutes after the accident happened.

They stabilized the stuntman, and then rushed him to hospital.

-(seagulls cawing) -(waves lapping)

My dad came into my bedroom one day and was like,

"There's been an accident on set with Davey."

-(street noise) -(bird chirping)

I was texting his phone,

but somebody else was responding.

I don't know if it was Marc or his girlfriend at the time.

And I obviously made, like--

I was like, as soon as I'm landing, basically,

as soon as I get off the plane,

I'm gonna come straight to the hospital.

-(indistinct chatter) -Excellent. I gotta get you--

-Marc: Hi, Dan. How are you? -I-I'm pretty well.

-Marc: Yeah? Good. -Just talking about John Cooper Clarke,

-the punk poet. -(Marc laughs)

He looks like Alice Cooper, but...

Daniel: The thing I was most scared about in the hospital,

I was like, what if he-- what if we run out of things

to talk about, and what if he feels like

I don't know how to talk to him anymore

because it is awkward at first. Like, it was awkward.

-What you telling me? -It's John Cooper Clarke. Um...

And what if it never feels normal again between us?

And it, like, thankfully, that did not last very long.

-(laughs) -David: So I'm gonna bring the sex finger home.

Marc: He wants you to know that, Dan.

He wants you to know that bit of information.

-That means a lot to him. -(indistinct chatter)

♪♪

Ralph Fiennes: While you battled courageously

until you could no longer will yourself to stand,

he had long since fallen...

Daniel: We obviously started filming very shortly afterwards,

and Dave was in hospital for a lot of the start of filming.

director: Okay, one last one.

You know, I'd be going 'round after work, um,

you know, a bit, and, uh,

just visiting him and seeing him

and, you know, watching him in the hospital,

and, gradually, he became better, and--

All through that period of time, I still had the

I still had the thought of, like, he's gonna be fine again at some point.

-crew member: Are you happy, Tolga? -Tolga: I'm happy.

That was tough. I didn't deal with it (laughs)

because Dave, in my mind, is indestructible.

So, I--

I still didn't believe it. I didn't want to.

I miss being back at work.

I wish I was there finishing it off, you know?

Marc: You do trick yourself,

thinking that maybe things aren't as bad.

Thinking he'll come home, this might be, you know,

he might be able to stand up or...

(sighs)

I don't know, just thinking maybe he'll get something else,

something else to come back or...

something like that.

David: I told all my family and my friends straightaway,

try and hope for me to be happy like I am.

Not happy like you want me to be

'cause there's a good chance that won't be achievable.

So, don't make me feel like I'm constantly failing you

for not trying to fix and unfix all the problem.

Paul: What you doing, Dave?

Paul: Any improvement?

I think I learned a lot of lessons from that

in terms of just, like,

when life is just about being there for people,

and it's not about... not about fixing anything.

Um...

Um...

Yeah, and...

Um...

But, yes, so, I think we tried to, like--

And also, like, Dave, bless him,

make-makes it a fucking party atmosphere,

like, anywhere he goes.

Right, the rules are one marshmallow in, chubby bunny.

Two marshmallows in, say chubby bunnies.

All up to as many as you can get until they're popping out your--

-Marc: Do you have to pluralize it after you get to two? -Chubby bunny.

♪♪

Chubby bunny.

-Chubby bunny. -(Marc laughs)

-(muffled) Chubby bunny. -David: Oh, nearly.

Marc: We'll give him that pass.

(friends giggling)

-(Marc laughing) -(muffled) Chubby bunny!

-Chubby bunny-- -(laughter)

(Marc laughing)

Just gets better and better this, doesn't it?

By the time he was in hospital, he was already

able to have the perspective

to look at other people

with more serious injuries, and go like,

"Oh, I'm actually better off than them.

I have to look out for them now."

(Sue laughs)

Which is just the most fucking ridiculous,

like, good quality in a person. Um...

Um...

-(door opens) -(phone ringing)

Sue: I was very angry with those that were involved

and I was very bitter.

And I wanted someone to blame.

And I remember sitting with him one day,

and I said, "Oh, well, you know, are you going to, um,

take this any further?"

He said, "Why, Mum?"

He said, "My life's been ruined.

Why would I wanna ruin anyone else's life?"

David: Straightaway, I was like

do I go for the specifics and the blame,

and the individuals that are in charge of each end of it?

And I was like... (sighs)

"What is people getting sacked really gonna change?

You're paralyzed," you know what I mean?

"You're not gonna get fixed."

Gemma: Try and turn and go back the other way.

David: It was just a catalog of errors that led to my paralysis.

And I had to focus on being positive.

And I still do. I'm really shy against

anything that brings me negativity

or makes me feel negative.

It's like an allergic reaction.

I just push it away as quickly as possible.

♪♪

Sue: He really hit me between the eyes with that.

If he's forgiven them and,

for want of a better word, walked away from it,

-then I've got to do the same. -Hm.

And, um,

that was quite a burden lifted

when he said that, really,

'cause I just wanted to blame someone.

Gemma: You got your mum. (giggles)

David: And my biggest fear was, actually,

I got a mortgage to pay, I got a life to lead,

and I don't know where I'm gonna be,

but the studio stepped up and said,

"Look, we've got insurance.

"You're gonna have to go through a legal process,

but you're gonna be alright."

I'm lucky that everything was in place

for me to be looked after like that.

So, now what I'm gonna do

is I'm gonna bring my nose to my knees,

Ellie's gonna position the slide sheet underneath my backside,

favoring this side so the slide sheet

travels with me, and I go onto the chair. So...

-Ready? -Ellie: Yeah.

Fantastic.

David: My initial recovery was pretty good.

I was ready to check outta hospital by May after January.

My leg-- My leg's caught underneath the armrest

on the side, and then I go like that.

At an angle. Again.

(sighs)

And then, just a week before checking out,

started getting these symptoms

where it was affecting my neurology.

Arms were getting harder to use.

I was getting loads of pain

as I was going from sitting to lying.

Went for an MRI scan, and it turns out

I'm one of the rare people

that gets a spinal syrinx

directly after surgery,

like 1% of spinal injuries or something.

Which is like a cyst in my spinal cord.

They had to operate, or I'd die.

It would have stopped me breathing,

it would have stopped my arms working,

and, eventually, stop me swallowing, and then breathing.

That was an 11-hour surgery.

And then, I was back to square one in recovery for that,

so I was still in hospital for another two and a half months.

That is my view every day,

that poxy light in my eyeballs,

every hour of every second of every day, and I hate it.

♪♪

One day, it was absolutely devastating for me,

even more so than the accident, I think,

is when they was transferring him from the bed

one day in Stanmore.

They had, they had, like, a stand.

They put Dave in it, and they winch it--

well, you know, press the button and winch him out the bed,

and it's the way he was just hanging there.

(solemn music playing)

I mean, that really felt awful.

♪♪

That, that was a bad day.

I think 'cause I drove one of those--

when I left him there, I was,

you know, absolutely devastated.

Even today.

Whatever route I took home was not the normal route.

I just didn't wanna go home

or go anywhere. I just drove.

Smoked me cigar. Drove.

Drove. It took hours.

I just didn't wanna go home.

(quiet set chatter)

director: Alright, now is everyone happy with this as a shot?

(blowtorch whooshing)

Right, here we go then. Shooting!

Okay, here we go.

-Let's roll cameras! -(fire crackling)

camera operators: Rolling!

director (through bullhorn): And action!

(shouts spell)

(explosions)

director: Bravo! Very nice.

Marc: A couple of days before Dave's accident,

I'd had a phone call from another stunt coordinator

to be a core team on another job,

on "Robin Hood" uh, with Russell Crowe,

um, and I'd never had that phone call before,

and I was literally over the moon,

even though I loved working on Harry Potter,

this was just a totally different team.

To find my name was really getting out there,

and I basically asked Greg if I could go and do that.

♪♪

But then, Dave asked me to then become

the stunt double for Harry.

Dave made it very clear to Marc early on

that he wanted only him to do it

and didn't want anyone else to do it.

(set chatter)

Marc: So, I was doing it for Dave.

But, it's the last thing I ever wanted to do,

'cause I don't wanna do that job.

Why do I wanna do the job that my mate's broke his neck on?

Not because I'm scared of the job.

That's his job. You know, I've nicked his job

off the back of him having an unfortunate event.

-director: Let's go live, please. -camera operators: Rolling!

Marc: Every time I got ready,

I'd sit there, and I thought,

(voice breaking) "I shouldn't be sitting here.

"I shouldn't be sitting here getting hair and makeup on...

"and looking like Harry. I shouldn't be doing this.

"This isn't right, This wasn't the plan.

"I was supposed to be going over here.

Dave should be sitting here." It was just-- (sniffles)

It's a lot to sort of work out in your head.

director: Three, two, one, go.

Daniel: You know, I never really thought of the implications

of-of what that might feel like to him,

and I really, um-- Yeah, I was, I was not--

It's probably a bit of an excuse and a cop-out,

but I would say I was, like, not even equipped

to have those thoughts at that time.

actor: Give me Harry Potter.

Daniel: But also, I don't know if it would've helped.

'Cause I think--

You know, it's taken so long to come to terms

with what's happened to Dave for all of us,

and we were right in the middle of it then.

So, we were still all just, like,

working out how we felt about this.

(crowd screaming, cheering)

Alex Zane: Attending his last-ever Harry Potter premiere,

the man whose story this was.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Daniel Radcliffe.

(cheering intensifies)

-Dan? Dan? -fan: Dan! Dan!

Daniel: And then, personally, there was definitely a period

where I didn't know what was important to me.

(crowd fades out)

It was at that point, I was still not convinced myself

of what my life was gonna be like after Potter.

(crowd cheering)

I'd been doing this thing really consistently

and had all that structure, and then suddenly,

that was gone, and I was, very quickly,

went into, like, kind of free-fall.

♪♪

It was something that I'd talked to Dave about.

And he was, as he always had been,

like a really good guiding star in all that.

(crowd cheering)

He was like,

"I'm not gonna let you throw the opportunity

you've got away."

And there was something about seeing somebody

have their career taken from them, uh, involuntarily.

And I realized that, like, you can't get complacent

and just be like, "Yeah, sure. I'll be in this industry forever."

'Cause that day was a constant point of comparison

to, like, subconsciously at least know how

random and fleeting everything could be.

-(rustling) -(sighs)

David: I think it's this one.

When I got out of hospital, I wanted to do it all on my own

and I was aiming to get back to a lifestyle that I'd lost,

instead of adapting to a lifestyle

that I had to live to.

So, I was pushing myself, and it didn't work out.

(indistinct chatter)

And I was so lucky that I've got

a friend like Tommy in my life

willing to not only improve my life,

help me live my life.

Like, he's basically my arms and legs.

(indistinct chatter)

Tommy: I've known him since I was 17.

He was, um, a colorful character.

Um, some might say a little bit cocky,

arrogant with his talents.

Um, but, he was talented,

and you could never take that away from him.

♪♪

I remember having a conversation regarding

how much he had in his bank account at some point.

He said he had a pound. Then, he said,

"But I'd give that pound to anyone who needed it now."

Um, and that sums up David as a person.

Like, he would do anything for anyone.

David: Tommy will know instinctively by looking at me

if I need something.

That's my best friend that's doing that for me.

Like, that's love, you know what I mean?

I'm just one of them people, I'm just like,

"Right, let's get on with this now."

Which I think is part of the reason why Dave likes

to have me work for him because I don't--

I don't beat around the bush as such.

I'll give him a little bit of sympathy,

but then it's gotta be, "Right, come on.

Game face on. We've gotta get on with this."

Sue: These are friends

that have gone into that role.

I mean, how many other young men would do that for their friend?

But they do.

And that, to me, is true friendship.

♪♪

-Dan Hartley: It is a big responsibility. -No.

Dan Hartley: I mean, do you--

No. I'm hanging around with my best mate.

It's not a responsibility.

For me, it's just a natural thing.

I come at 8 o'clock. I hang around with my best mate.

We do some fun things.

We do some horrible things. We do some upsetting things.

We do some quite depressing things sometimes,

um, but we just do.

I don't think about

if Dave needs to get to a foreign country

or into a little aircraft

in South Africa when he's safariing,

I don't think about the, the risks in this.

I just think, "Right, he needs to have this experience.

"He needs to get to this meeting. He needs to go.

This is how we're gonna do it."

Strapped my chest in 'cause I asked him to do a loop-the-loop.

Tommy: Which I suppose you could say I've adopted

from David's attitude to his job,

which is probably why we've moved on

as we've moved on through the years.

We were working for him and being friends

because we've got this, right, how-can-we

rather than how-can't-we.

(laughter)

I just thought I'm gonna live with it by just, every day,

striving for those little glimpses, you know?

Tommy: We've had some really good times.

Lots of experiences, lots of holidays,

out for dinner up London,

like doing things every day, all day.

♪♪

David: From 2009 to 2016,

I just focused on the next thing,

the next adventure.

Cheers!

(clinking)

David: And I also learned to deal with it by laughing at it.

(laughter)

Yes, that actually happened.

From that window

has fallen this fucking pigeon onto my head!

And for all the kids that are around me,

my nephew and my mates' kids

-and the young teenagers... -Perfect!

...I just wanted them to see me live

and living with something and overcoming the adversity.

That was really important to me.

Go, go, go, I'm on you! I'm gonna overtake!

Before my accident,

everything was about being cool

and being a stuntman and being good

and earning more money.

You know, now it's about being present.

(distant traffic noise)

Daniel: Shall I give you a tour?

Okay, um... So, yeah.

Come in, come in. This is the living room. Um...

Th-These don't normally sit here, obviously, but these are--

I-I did find these the other day.

They are both scripts for "The Deathly Hallows Part 2".

I looked at a scene yesterday, there was a character in it

called, like, the Gray Lady. And I was like,

"The Gray Lady? Who's that? Was I in that scene?

Oh yes, I was!" I did that at some point.

(laughs)

Got my, uh, my autograph book from Disney World,

which I realized today is taking an incredibly prominent space

in my 32-year-old apartment.

My grandmother. She's now 99.

This is the first time people have seen

really inside of my house or anywhere I live.

Although, I have to say, like,

New York has become my home-home now.

That's where I feel more at home.

But it is nice to be back

and know that I'm gonna see Dave and be able to see--

'Cause, like, I miss a lot of people here.

That's the thing I miss more than, like, living here.

(birds chirping)

(sighs)

(groans)

(groans)

(weak laugh)

-(sighs) Yeah. -(clacking)

(shower running)

(inaudible)

(wheelchair whirring)

Daniel: You know, I'm an only child

and I always wanted a brother.

And I think you go through the world, asking people,

"Are you my brother?" (laughs) And, uh...

Dave is one of those people

that I absolutely feel that way about.

(birds chirping)

Um, do, do you...

shop at all? Or does someone get it for you?

-(laughs) Not really, no. -Like, everyone buys you clothes.

(laughing)

It's just I've never seen you in a department store going,

-"Oh, I like that." -Honestly, like, I-I-I--

like, every so often, like I--

I work enough that every so often,

there will be a press tour, and at that time,

I will do a fitting and get new clothes.

-David: Great. -But, other than that, I--

I'm just like-- I-- You know, look at these fucking trainers.

-David: Yeah. Yeah. -You know. It's--

You wore the same trainers for about eight years.

-Remember those? The-- -What, the Green Flash?

-Green Flash. Dunlop Green Flash. -Yeah. Yeah.

-You're a gangster. -I know. I don't-- Yeah, it's bad.

I hate shopping. You like it?

The one thing you, like, wanna be able to give Dave now,

as much as you can, is normality.

He doesn't wanna sit there and be pitied.

He doesn't wanna look around at, like, sad eyes looking at him.

Like, he wants to-- When he's with you,

he wants to, like, have a nice time

and just, like, enjoy being with you.

-David: Good for the world, this place. -Daniel: Yeah, man.

South Essex Gymnastics Club down here.

David: South Essex Gymnastics Club.

I'm excited to see some of the young kids

and how my friends have helped bring them on

-and developed their skill set. -Daniel: Yeah.

David: Hello, everybody!

All alright?

David: Mwah! Sporting worlds.

-Verity, Dan. Dan, Verity. -Hi, I'm Dan.

Really nice to meet you. How are you?

Who have we got in? We've got the boys 9 to 14s?

-Verity: Yes, we've got boys (indistinct) -Yeah.

Work your backside off, you know?

You get out of it what you put in,

and it's not just--

You're not gonna leave this place

just knowing how to backflip.

You're gonna leave this place knowing

how to be a young man and face challenges and all that lot.

So, just enjoy it.

Dan, can I borrow you? Come say hello?

So, Dan, this is the elite boys squad.

-Daniel: Hey, boys. -David: You tried it.

-We done some stuff when you were younger. -Yeah.

-I mean, I tried it. I was not, you know... -Yeah.

You would laugh very hard if you saw the stuff I tried,

-but yeah, it was-- -Could punch front off a trampette,

could handstand, forward roll, back roll, handstand.

We put him in wires, he run up the wall,

back flipped, like-- So yeah--

He took, he took-- He took one look at me early on.

It was just like, "We need to teach you stuff

'cause you look like you can't do anything."

-Did you ever want to do what he did? -Daniel: To do what he did?

-Yes. -Daniel: Yeah. 100%.

For the first, like, six months of it,

I was like, "I wanna be a stuntman."

David: It's a really good sport...

Daniel: You can learn from Dave just through watching him

and through if you really think about what he's been through

and then how he's reacted to it.

-David: So, Kayden. -Daniel: How you doing?

-David: Already doing stunts. -Daniel: Oh yeah?

-David: Just done the (indistinct). -Daniel: Oh, awesome.

Pick his brains if you need. Yeah, ever, if you--

-Yeah, he'll be happy to help you. -Anytime. But...

Daniel: If you'd said to Dave when he was a gymnast,

"What would you be if you take this away from yourself?"

I'm sure he would have said, you know,

"No hope, I would-- You know, I'm not gonna live like that."

Whatever.

But, he does.

His obvious determination, it's just so,

like, palpable.

-(giggling) -David: You know,

some gymnasts have gone on to Dan's line of work.

You know, Jason Statham was a competitive diver.

So it opens loads and loads of doors.

-Any questions for us? -Can we take a photo with you?

-Daniel: Yeah! Course you can. -David: Of course you can.

-(giggling) -No worries. Yeah.

And three, two, one, South Essex. Ready?

-Three, two, one... -All: South Essex!

-David: Well done, guys. Thanks for that. -Daniel: Thank you.

That was really nice for the kids

and for the club and everything.

-Mate, that was great. -That was a nice thing to do.

Daniel: It's definitely one of those things when you meet people...

(conversation fades)

(dull, deep rumbling)

(gurgling)

(bubbling, splashing)

(splashing)

(bubbling)

David: I've had to adapt a lot.

And I'm still having to adapt every day.

-(shivering) -(sighs)

It's a mental test constantly.

-(whirring) -Ow, ow, ow...

Constantly getting pushed, you know, stress positions,

uncomfortable, spasms hurting,

or, you know, pain's worse one day or whatever.

(sighs)

(indistinct)

Ah...

Paralysis is like a prison cell.

(groans) God...

It's so claustrophobic.

And for me,

the cell's getting smaller and smaller and smaller.

So it feels like I'm stuck in a coffin.

(groaning)

(shoes squeaking)

Daniel: After the accident,

we thought this is as bad as it'll be.

Like, the worst thing has happened to him,

and it's gonna plateau from here,

and we just learn how to live with this.

But, no. It is also, as he calls it,

the, the gift that keeps on taking.

Um, over the past year and a half,

probably three years really,

I've been noticing more degradation

and loss of neurology on this right-hand side.

So, as you can see. I've got my left arm,

I can scratch my face with.

This is as good as it gets with my right arm.

In the last year, I've lost the bicep, the tricep,

the chest, and the collarbone.

♪♪

Basically, there's a tube that drains

the pressure of the cyst.

It's blocked.

So now, I've gotta go for surgery next week,

which is opening up the old scar in the back of my neck,

opening up the spinal cord again, draining the cyst

to try and stop it getting worse.

It's a last-ditch attempt to try and keep me where I am.

Every day, I try and do something,

and I'm losing another bit of function.

At the moment, I'm losing the tricep

and the wrist on this left arm.

Once I lose that, I can't push a wheelchair.

(beeping, elevator dings)

Sue: To watch him gradually lose more

is horrendous.

When he said to me,

"Well, I don't know if this will be the last time

I can stroke the dogs or I can feed myself,"

it was just heartbreaking.

David: I'm really scared.

But,

at the moment, I'm going to bed scared,

worried that I'm gonna wake up

and not be able to move a little bit more.

Tommy: I'm anxious.

The last 6 months to 12 months

has been quite depressing.

I wouldn't wish it upon anyone

to go through what I've seen him go through

every morning for the last six months.

It's absolutely horrendous.

I'm in too much pain.

(sighs)

♪♪

And everyone tells me to take a painkiller.

Like, to have a break from it.

But, I don't wanna live on painkillers.

-(click, whir) -I don't want--

I've gotta get up and feel it before I lose it,

(gasps) and-- (sighs)

It's hard to see him constantly worrying,

"Is this the last time I'm doing something?" With his like--

I remember him squeezing shampoo out of the bottle,

um, at one point and talking about, "When is the last time

I'll be able to do that?"

That might have happened, that we might be past it now.

But there was obviously, like, there was the last time

he's driving himself, there was the last time-- you know.

So, I worry a lot

'cause once it moves past arms,

then it will be to, like, swallow,

and also, like, obviously,

the, the thought about the, the loss of ability to speak

is just like--

That's-That's pretty unimaginable.

David: Hi, guys.

Just met the surgical team.

Surgery is a go tomorrow.

Have a think for me. I'll be alright.

If not, so be it. But, I've had a good run,

and I'm gonna be lying down for the next five days,

so there won't be any videos, any updates.

Thanks for all your love and support, and, uh, yeah.

Say one for me tonight.

(phone ringing)

-(typing) -(EKG beeping)

I made it. Look.

The arm works. I'm breathing.

I'm talking.

And, uh, yeah, success hopefully.

So, I won't know just yet with neurological changes

but I'm alive.

(phone ringing)

Slight bump in the road.

I'm gonna have to go through a little procedure,

which is a lumbar punch.

(EKG beeping)

Second surgery was alright,

but I've just had the surgical team come 'round this morning.

They're not happy.

(typing)

(whispers) I'm back. We made it,

and I don't feel too bad.

Another day, another bump in the road.

Now, I'm being rushed into hospital in Central London,

blues and twos 'cause I've gotta have a brain surgery.

-(siren wailing) -(clicking)

That was the fourth surgery in 12 days,

and, uh, I've just had a tap put in my brain.

(sighs)

I'm still in the trenches.

This brain drain is doing its job,

the thing on my head. Hopefully...

Sue: You just think,

"Please. Enough is enough now."

Starting to, uh, lose the will now.

I'm trying. Trying to keep upright, keep strong.

But it's battling me hard.

Christmas, I thought we would lose him.

He was that bad with operation

after operation after operation.

And I really didn't think he would come through that.

David: It's been a turbulent Christmas for me,

but I'm thankful that I woke up with one good arm,

and this arm's still sort of moves.

I'm thankful for the nursing staff.

I'm thankful for my family.

I'm thankful for Tommy Wells.

Oh, Tommy! (sighs)

What would I do without him?

But, um, yeah. It's been a--

It's been a rough one.

But I'm getting there. I will get there.

My present to you all is getting out of this place

and getting better.

I love you all, and, uh, I'm still here.

It's hard, but I'm hard, right?

(laughs)

-(echoing typing) -(distorted EKG)

After seven to eight weeks, five surgeries,

all sorts of problems,

I think I'm finally getting the fuck out of here!

I wanna thank all the staff, everyone at the NHS,

and the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital,

and thanks very much. Get me the fuck out of here.

(click)

(birds chirping)

(dog barking)

Um, Tom, you gotta do a facemask through the door?

Tommy: Yeah, it's fine.

Dan Hartley: How's he been this morning, Tommy?

-Um, down. Bit moody. -David: Agony.

Agony. Painful.

He's gotta come here for the week,

which isn't great, but...

What you do. Do you know what I mean?

Just gotta get on with it, haven't he?

-Nothing he can do. -David: Suck it up.

-Well, I got a room which is great news. -Suck it up, get in,

get it done, and then go home.

That's the plan, ain't it, Dave?

nurse: You know the routine.

David: So this is, "Can I feel it,

can't I feel it."

nurse: Yeah, so this is a reference point, okay?

-So this is the cotton wool. -Yeah, sensation.

-nurse: Can you feel that? -Sensitivity 400%.

nurse: Okay, so tell me when you feel it. Just say yes.

Yes... Yes...

Yes... Yes.

nurse: Okay. What were you hoping to get out of doing it today?

Making sure that it's not got any worse.

So...

Little bit, yes. Yes.

-nurse: No? Sorry. -No, nothing at all.

Yes. Yes.

nurse: C1's looking alright.

-Yeah, but it's not a nice life. -nurse: No, I know.

-C2 is not a nice life. -nurse: No, I know, I know. We'll just take C5, C6, C7...

-C5, C6. -nurse: ...whatever we can get, yeah.

I'll take 5,6, and 7 are my numbers.

Blunt.

Blunt.

Blunt.

nurse: And try and spread them apart.

And relax.

And again.

-(groans) -Sorry.

Watching an arm fail and feeling it,

really painful.

nurse: So, that gives you

a motor level of C6 on the left.

-But the motor level on the right... -David: C4.

C3?

♪♪

Go on, hit me.

nurse: Three.

Yeah.

nurse: The other thing we need to look at

is your lung function test

-to get an idea of what you're volumes are. -(inhales)

-(exhales) -Good. That was a really good one.

That was excellent.

That was very nice.

David: The left arm

is still on a similar trajectory, which is good.

-The right arm is confirmed. It's definitely worse? -nurse: It is.

And my breathing is still the same.

♪♪

All the family get through it alright? The pandemic.

-nurse: Um... -Did you lose anyone?

I'm sorry, love. I'm sorry.

Young?

Diabetic?

-I'm sorry, darling. -nurse: Thank you.

David: I'm glad you're holding my hand.

-nurse: Aww. -If I could squeeze your hand right now, I would do.

-nurse: I'll squeeze yours. How's that? There we go. -David: I would do.

-Life's shit, right? -nurse: It is, it is. Well, you know.

-Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's shit. -nurse: Yeah.

Just try and pick up the good bits.

You had a holiday?

nurse: No.

-Do you want one? -(laughs)

nurse: I'd love one, Dave.

David: Do you wanna come down to see me for couple days?

-nurse: I would love to come and see you! -I got a nice house.

You can come and chill out, go to the seaside--

nurse: Does this muscle hurt? -Yes, all of it does.

Just touching me hurts. I just...

(wheelchair whirring)

I spent nearly six months looking there.

Oh, I miss Will being there.

Will was in that bed

because he was involved in the Mumbai Terrorist Attack.

Ollie was in that bed 'cause he was stabbed in the neck

by-- for a hate crime.

And I was in that bed because I went to work

and got paid to do a risky job.

So, when you were surrounded by that much hate,

um, I couldn't feel sorry for myself.

But, I've never been exposed

as much I have been in this room.

Like, exposed physically and psychologically

to ridiculous amounts of trauma, and...

I had friends that got me through it. I was lucky.

I found out Marc got engaged in this room.

That cheered me up.

I remember Radcliffe,

chubby bunnies

trying to do as many marshmallows as you can.

♪♪

I remember Marc zapping his nipples

with the TENS machine.

-Oh! -(laughter)

David: I remember placing bets on how much we wee.

Gemma: And you have no idea what's behind that. (laughs)

(indistinct)

David: Just all of the things that you're exposed to

with a spinal injury.

It happened to me here,

but I was able to

find a light in the darkest of places.

♪♪

♪♪

I have so much love in my life.

For someone that's a single man

and has been for a long time,

I don't feel like I'm not loved.

You know, I have lots of great friends,

and I'm so lucky.

Ah, bonjour!

It makes me living with my disability better.

I wouldn't be able to live with it.

I wouldn't get through with it if I was on my own.

It just wouldn't work.

You know I was a conker champion uh, in, uh-- I was!

(laughs) It was in the papers and everything.

-David: Marc, put that on the call sheet. -I was quite young.

-Marc: Conker champion. -David: Tolga, the conker champion.

Tolga: The conker king.

(all laugh)

-David: What a fucking achievement. -Yeah.

-It's the best thing I've ever done, mate. -(David laughs)

David: You're a former stunt double for Harry Potter,

-and the thing you're most proud of-- -Nah. The conkers is just--

-(Marc laughs) -Just up there.

-Daniel: It never felt cool at the time. -No, no.

Like, there was no point in it where I was like,

"I'm playing Harry Potter" and I can go back to school

and be like, "Hey, guys, you know--" Fuck no!

-It felt kind of like-- Not like "Lord of the Rings". -David: Geeky?

When we did Harry, "Lord of the Rings" was like

-the one for older people, and that was the cool one. -Marc: Yeah.

And now, I look back, and I'm like, oh no.

That was so fucking cool to be associated with those movies.

-Like, it's the best. -Tolga: Yeah.

What was your favorite one? Hair-wise.

-Hair-wise, three. -Tolga: Three, yeah.

-David: To work on, four was-- -Tolga: Yeah, four was the best.

-The dive shit was amazing. -Tolga: Yeah, the water. (sighs)

I always think about the difference in like how--

-'Cause we're the same age, right? -Yeah, within weeks.

-And then you guys are the same age. -Yeah.

So, like, how much older these guys seemed when we met them.

-It's fascinating. Like, you were men to us... -Big gap.

-Yeah. Yeah. -Daniel: ...when I was there, and then,

-we're now just all in our 30s, and there's like no difference. -Yeah.

Where we've come from in 13 years,

obviously, I'm still stagnated in life things,

but I live vicariously through your achievements.

So, I'm so fucking proud of you two,

uh, what you're doing in the film game. Honestly.

And watching the way you're going through with your career

and how you handle yourself, it's cool.

-I wouldn't have it any other way. -Daniel: Also,

the last word that would come to mind with you

-is, like, stagnant or stagnating. Like, you-- -friends: Mm.

Daniel: When you think of the relationships you foster

and the spaces you foster for other people,

like the stuff you put out into the world,

it's, like, a lot.

-Yeah. -David: I just find

-that it's the only way I can get on with it. -Daniel: Yeah.

'Cause I had that week in hospital,

I was like, "Right, okay.

Let's be angry about this and let's self-reflect,"

and by the end of the week, it just didn't work.

-For your mental health. -David: I think you were more angry than anybody.

-What's that? -David: You were more angry than me through all that.

-Yeah. -David: You were really angry with that.

-It was hard to see it. -Yeah.

David: And, obviously, you had to put the fucking glasses on after me.

You had to do the fucking stunt after me. That's fucked.

-It was pretty bizarre. -I honestly never thought about that at the time

because it was such a-- There was part of it

that was such a natural thing. Like, of course,

-Marc's gonna take over for Dave... (indistinct) -Yeah, yeah.

It's not like we were going, "Oh, okay,

so how do you feel, Marc, about doing it now?"

No one would ever dream-- I wouldn't dream of asking you at that time.

But I also think, you also think as well, "Dave's gonna get better."

-Daniel: Yeah, yeah. -I was pretty much 100% convinced

you were gonna get-get better.

-I knew straight away. -Daniel: Really?

David: And do you know what really fucked it

is when I got the cyst.

-Daniel: Yeah. -That changed the game,

which is why I am where I am now, and...

(David sighs)

I don't wanna accept where it's probably gonna go to.

I don't-- I have to.

We have to all expect it in a little way.

Like, expect to maybe lose this arm.

And at what point,

I don't know how long,

but there's few people I can say that around.

-friends: Mm. -But for you boys, like...

Just, you know what I mean,

it's not gonna be easy to see me.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best,

-and just, you know... -Day by day, isn't it?

I will still be myself, whatever regardless,

it will not take that away from me.

Tolga: And I don't think any of us...

Marc: Just gotta try and, try and be his best mate.

Focus on the positives

and, you know, appreciate the good times

you have with Dave when they're good.

(laughter)

You know, get through the bad times

'cause he's gonna have bad times,

but, you know, as long as the good times

are still outweighing or on par with the bad times,

I think you're in a good place.

David: It is a process of mourning

-for all of us in a different way, right? -Mm.

-Tolga: Today's the most I've spoken about it. -Yeah.

-Tolga: Even just now, and in 13 years. -Yeah.

Marc: I've only just probably in the last six months

-watched the Potter again. -Daniel: Really?

Marc: Yeah. Only 'cause

my kids wanted to watch them, and I must admit,

-they are bloody good films. -Daniel: Oh, that's cool. That's nice.

Yeah, my kids love them, and, obviously,

-just watching them totally fresh 12 years on. -Daniel: Yeah, that's cool.

-You can actually appreciate them a bit more. -Daniel: Yeah.

Marc: But, the whole times, get a bad taste in my mouth,

-so I was like I don't wanna watch it. -No.

Tolga: I try to appreciate what I did

and what we did and what Dave did,

and we had some amazing times,

and we do reminisce and laugh about stuff that happened,

but there's this thing, you know.

(muffled chatter)

David: For all the hardships that it's had

emotionally on us all,

a lot of positives have come out of a negative.

Obviously, because we can't do the jerk fully,

I think as long as we just see this process down here...

After Dave's accident,

my focus was trying to make stunt rigging

or the wire work, the flying that you see in films,

now as safe as possible.

That's been the main achievement since Dave had his accident.

♪♪

A stunt should look dangerous, but it shouldn't be dangerous.

It'd be nice to get what we have with the bag,

like a land and a bit of a roll out,

-so it doesn't just stop -Tolga: Okay. Yeah, cool.

That's felt like a duty to do that.

Um, luckily, we've both got quite good at it.

I take quite a lot of pride in that side of the job.

The goal is to do good stunts, but do them safely.

So, we've both made a big effort in that respect.

(hissing)

-Just checking, Grant, pressure? -Grant: 60 PSI.

So, gone up 20 PSI...

Since Harry Potter, me and Tolga have worked

every film together for the last eight years,

from knowing a boy that was 15 years old,

now, now being a man and amazing at his job.

-(laughter) -Now, we've got friends, family.

Just, you know, we see each other all the time,

it's just amazing what's come from Harry Potter,

and, at the time, without realizing how big a project,

not just for career-wise,

but also for friendships and, you know, future life.

(crowd chatter)

♪♪

David: Bonjour!

-(applause, cheering) -(indistinct chatter)

Thank you, everyone!

Thank you!

-(chatter continues) -(birds chirping)

official: Right, Gryffindor! Quickly!

-captain: Good luck, sir. -Marc: Telling you right now (indistinct).

(crowd cheering)

Darren's out playing, loving it.

He's playing. He's loving it. He's been, like, so excited.

-David: To play? -friend: Yeah.

player: Yeah, I think it's not looking good for us.

-(groaning) -(crowd cheering)

Oh, he's out!

Daniel: There are so many people who I met on those films

who, like, cared, like, deeply about us

from pretty much the beginning.

-Mwah! -(crowd chatter)

Daniel: It's nice 'cause it means that those 10 years,

they're commemorated in the fact that

this, like, Potter family still exists

and is this thing that has affected so many people.

It's not just like that experience ended

with those 10 years.

It's something we sort of all carry with us

in different ways through the relationships

that we still have from there and, you know,

and the ones that we don't.

(sighs)

Greg: You know, I've been to a few of the cricket matches.

I really don't like going.

Seeing him really pains me. It really does.

(crowd chatter)

Marc: Greg, I know he holds himself,

you know, a bit more responsible than anyone

because he was in charge on that day.

I don't think it was his fault.

But Greg's old school, isn't he?

You know, the old school way is to bury things down

and not really talk about or mention it.

Greg: I do struggle. I hate it.

You know, knowing him as he was,

you know, climbing and jumping, and...

I think Dave saw him as like a father figure prior to this.

So, you know, obviously, not having him about

because he doesn't wanna deal with it, Greg,

and then Dave probably wondering about.

It's heartbreaking.

Greg: I gotta say, Dave, you look really well,

-you know, in the nicest way. -Dave: Oh, fuck off.

-Feel like shit. Body's collapsing. -Greg: But no, you really do.

You've actually put on a bit of weight on your face

-because last time, you was really... -David: Yeah.

But we ain't seen each other...

What, pre-COVID?

-Greg: Was it as long as that? -Might have been, yeah.

I was gonna come over, but because of the COVID thing--

-Yeah, it got worse. -Greg: Yeah. We do--

-I'll try and ring you as much as I can. -David: Yeah, that's alright.

(birds chirping)

-Dan Hartley: We're gonna take a little break in a few minutes. -Yeah, you carry on.

I hate seeing him.

I hate seeing him like that, you know.

And in the nicest way, I'm gonna say

I wish I'd never met him when I see him like that,

'cause he wouldn't be like that if he hadn't have met me.

You know?

I was the last one to touch him when he could actually walk,

and I was the first one to touch him when he couldn't walk.

And that was-- That's an awful feeling.

Getting choked up now. Horrible.

(clicks tongue)

But, there you go.

There you go. (sighs) Poor sod.

Sorry.

It hurts. Dan, I gotta tell ya. Really does.

(sighs) It does. I fucked his life right up.

Fucked it right up 'cause he-- You know-- Oh, I dunno.

What would he be doing now?

He'd be doing anything he liked now. You know?

He'd be doing anything he liked.

Be doing big pictures,

doing what he always enjoyed

from when I knew him as a kid, you know?

Dan Hartley: Can you not cut yourself some slack

and say it was an accident, it was a day?

I try to.

I still blame meself 'cause I was there.

(birds chirping)

But he still talks to me. He still loves me, I think.

So, that's the main thing.

-But, Greg, I did. My job was... -Greg: Yeah.

...to-to go there and put my body

and my being in a position of risk.

And it was about my confidence in myself,

my colleagues' confidence in me,

but from, that it's gotta be

a positive outcome, or I can't--

It's too much, you know what I mean?

It's too much for me, for my folks, and my loved ones,

for people like everyone that loves me. So...

You basically had to, you know, you had a thing

that was ahead of you that would suddenly have to change,

and you had to go like, "Who am I without that?"

-It's incredible really. Yeah... -David: But it's a constant work in progress.

I'm having a very unique journey on this planet.

And it's-it's mine. It's my own, and I just have to own that.

Daniel: That's the thing I was saying earlier, even on your worst day,

you're still better company than most people.

Well, that's very kind of you. Yeah.

Yeah. Well, I'll try and shit myself for you

-by the end of the night, and it's, it's complete. -(laughter)

-Uh, nice to see ya. -(laughter)

Daniel: I don't wanna talk about Dave as if his life is a tragedy

-'cause it's really not. -David: Love you.

-Nice to see you. Gimme a kiss. -Greg: Yep.

-Silly old bastard. Yeah. -Greg: See you in the morning.

-Alright, mate. -David: (laughs) See you later.

Nice to see you.

Daniel: The way his life has affected the lives of people around him

means that it is the furthest thing from that, imaginable.

But it is...

It is unfair.

Um, he shouldn't have had to do any of that.

He could've just, like, lived a--

He could have just like, you know,

been a stuntman and partied really hard. (laughs)

♪♪

(gate creaking)

David: What is behind those gates?

-Oh wow! -Daniel: Here you go.

He's one of the few people

that I can reminisce about Potter in a really,

really, like, lovely, nostalgic way with.

Okay, here's some stuff we remember.

-Oh yeah, cool! Oh man! -This is the stabbing of the arm?

-The stabbing of the Basilisk. -The Basilisk.

This is Slytherin Quidditch, HP one and two.

-So 100% one of these was yours. -David: Yeah, I absolutely wore that outfit.

Some of these have got names inside-- Oh, David Holmes!

-There you go. -Me! Me!

Let me smell what shitty aftershave

I was wearing at the time to try and...

(sniffs) Yeah. I did--

-I recognize the smell. -Daniel: Do you reckon it? Yeah.

-David: Oh yeah, that's well cool, man. -Daniel: Sweet.

♪♪

And, you know, this is the story

that matters the most to me from Potter.

(laughs) "Good condition wands."

David: Does it feel weird holding them in your hand again?

-Daniel: It feels disturbingly familiar, actually. (laughs) -David: Yeah.

You were hanging upside down, you done a half somersault,

landed in the seat.

-Daniel: Did I do that? Cool. -Oh yes, you did.

Daniel: It was an incredible 10 years.

You know, it's good to acknowledge

that that can all be true,

-and this terrible thing happened to Dave. -David: What's that about?

Daniel: Sorting Hat.

-David: Is it really? -I mean, presumably.

-"Do not crush." -Dan, stick it on my head.

-(laughs) -Fuck ‘em.

(paper crinkling)

Better to say sorry than ask permission.

-(crinkling) -(laughs)

Sort me into...

-I mean, a pair of legs would be handy. -(laughs)

-Fuck the house. I'll just take the hat. -(laughs)

(laughs) Come on, rob it. Let's go.

-I was in love with my job. Still am, in a weird way. -Let's go. Black market.

♪♪

I had great friends, great experiences,

good money and all that.

It was the biggest love of my life.

One of my only loves, really.

If my legs come back tomorrow, I'd go back to work.

That's how good a job it was for me.

-Fuck, man, I love film. -Daniel: Yeah.

David: I love this job. I love this industry.

I love what it does for me.

I love what it's done for other people.

-Don't ever give it up, mate. -Daniel: I fucking won't, don't worry.

David: Okay, so...

Hi, everybody, and welcome back to Cunning Stunts,

a podcast series discussing all things stunt work.

Today, we've got the lovely guest Greg Townley.

How you doing, Greg? You alright?

("A Prayer Of My Own" by Nick Mulvey playing)

♪ Somehow ♪

♪ My love ♪

♪ Somehow ♪

♪ My love ♪

♪ Keep me an open heart in hell ♪

♪ Gimme the courage to feel it all ♪

♪ The beauty of the fall ♪

♪ When I want to run away ♪

♪ When I wish to run away ♪

-Daniel: Oh, shit. (gasps) -David: Oh, that's outrageous.

-Oh, my days! Oh, look at that. -Daniel: Jesus.

David: Oh, shut up.

Daniel: Oh no, I've broken it.

Steve, it's not doing it anymore. (laughs)

David: Wasn't my fault, don't blame me.

-Killed it. -I fucked the Batmobile, guys.

(laughter)

We didn't film it! No one film it!

-Dave, quick! -(laughter)

♪ My heart each time I say ♪

♪ That it don't know how to break ♪

♪ And that I'm better off this way ♪

♪ Come on, Lord, help me stay ♪

♪ Somehow ♪

♪ My love ♪

♪ Somehow ♪

♪ My love ♪

♪ Can we bear the unbearable? ♪

♪ How to bear the unbearable? ♪

♪ How to bear the unbearable... ♪