Before John Wick and Deadpool 2: David Leitch’s gritty journey as a stuntman “I was more embarrassed than discouraged”

From stunt man to main man, David Leitch has had an eclectic life in Hollywood.

After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in International Relations, Leitch’s first big break in the film industry came as a stunt double for Brad Pitt and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

He was part of a team that won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for their work on The Bourne Ultimatum and he’s gone on to thrive as a director, overseeing films like Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

However before those successes, he was an aspiring stunt man trying out for roles at Magic Mountain, the popular amusement park in Valencia, California. In a conversation with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett on the SmartLess podcast, Leitch revealed an embarrassing early attempt to stand out.

“I was trying out for the Batman Live Show at Magic Mountain,” Leitch began. “But I was showing off... I wasn’t supposed to do a backflip, but [I thought]: ‘I’m gonna show everybody that I can do a backflip‘.”

Leitch continued: “I completely under-rotated, put my wrist down and shatter it, in four places. So it’s like surgery, I have a big halo [brace] on my wrist. And it’s super embarrassing because I’m not even a stunt man yet, I’m just at the start of my career."

But despite that painful experience, it didn’t put Leitch off a career in the industry. Recalling the incident now, he credits the group of fellow stunt men around him for convincing him to push through.

“I was embarrassed more than discouraged. There was a great group of guys and we all just really believed that we could make it,” Leitch explained, going on to recount a phrase that he would stick to throughout his career.

“There was two women in this diner, sitting behind us, and they were like: ‘Preparation plus opportunity equals miracles, sister.’ So we’d jokingly always say that, but we meant it."

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