fandomweekly | [#118] Stunt Double (FAKE)

Theme Prompt: #118 – Mistaken Identity
Title: Stunt Double
Fandom: FAKE
Rating/Warnings: PG
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1000
Summary: Stuntman Randy ‘Ryo’ Maclean is doubling for big Hollywood action star Devon Hall on his latest blockbuster movie.

Filming on the latest Devon Hall movie was in full swing, with most of the straightforward scenes already in the can. Now the focus was on the action scenes which, since the Hollywood star’s movies were always action-packed thrillers, accounted for most of the filming schedule.

Hall was a major star these days so doing his own stunts was out of the question. Not that he would have wanted to anyway; he had the greatest respect for the stuntmen and women who worked on his movies, treating those he worked with regularly as close friends, often hanging out with them between takes, discussing what he needed to do in scenes to make their jobs easier. That was especially true for his and the main villain’s stunt doubles.

The next stunt to be shot would require Hall’s character to hang from the skids of a helicopter as it took off from the roof of a building, then climb inside and battle with the movie’s villain. There would be safety lines involved, no chance of anyone falling, but it was going to look suitably dramatic.

Devon had already filmed his part of the scene, where he actually pulled himself into the craft’s rear compartment, using a stationary ‘copter against a green screen. The rest would be handled by stuntman Randy ‘Ryo’ Maclean, who’d doubled for Hall on the climax to his previous movie and done such an impressive job that Hall had immediately offered him the same role on his next movie.

Doubling for the villain was Dee Laytner, who’d already worked with Hall on several movies. He and Ryo had actually met for the first time on the previous movie and had struck up a close friendship. Having worked several other gigs together since then, by now they trusted each other completely. The behind-the-scenes camaraderie between the stars and their doubles was quite remarkable.

Filming of the scene went more smoothly than even the stuntmen had anticipated. Nevertheless, Devon had his heart in his mouth, watching from the roof as Ryo dangled one-handed from one of the helicopter skids before dragging himself up onto it and inside, while his opponent repeatedly tried to dislodge him.

The fight scene itself had been filmed earlier, inside a mock-up of the helicopter mounted on pistons that simulated the bumpy ride as hero and villain fought over the controls. As soon as Ryo was safely inside, the pilot landed the ‘copter back on the roof so the stuntmen could take a break before moving on to the next set-up.

Devon greeted them as they moved clear of the still spinning rotors.

“Great work, guys! Don’t know how you do it; that looked seriously scary.”

“Safety lines,” Ryo said with a grin. “If I’d lost my grip, I wouldn’t have fallen more than two or three feet. They might not look like much, but those lines are strong, and I had three of them on me. They tug on the safety harness though; it’s gotten a bit twisted.” He grimaced, pulling at the back of the pants he was wearing.

Hall winced in sympathy. “Rather you than me.”

“One of those annoyances stuntmen gotta get used to,” Dee Laytner said with a shrug. “We gotta go get changed ready for our next stunt. You comin’ with?”

“Can’t, Barry’s decided he wants to get some pick-up shots of me getting out of the ‘copter with Vitelli in cuffs. It’s not in the script, but he thinks it’ll make the sequence flow better. You couldn’t stick around for a few more minutes could you, Dee? Barry was saying something about me maybe throwing Vitelli out onto the roof.” Laytner was doubling for the actor playing Vitelli.

“Sure, no problem.”

“I’ll wait for you guys,” Ryo offered, squirming a little as he tried to adjust the safety harness beneath his clothes.

Dee snorted. “You’ll distract everyone, wrigglin’ like that,” he teased. “Go get yourself untangled; this shouldn’t take long, and then we’ve got one more scene before lunch, the one where you’re chasin’ me through rush-hour traffic.” That scene was from earlier in the movie, meaning both stuntmen would need to change clothes to match what the actors had been wearing.

“Fine, see you in wardrobe.” Ryo turned and left the roof, heading down in the elevator by himself, already running through the chase scene in his head. Rudy Lawrence, the movie’s stunt coordinator, had choreographed the scene and gone over it with both stuntmen earlier, but there’d be time for a run-through before shooting, while the cameras, lighting, and sound equipment were checked.

He was deep in thought as he came out of the elevator and made for the building’s main doors. At present they were filming on location in downtown L.A., which was standing in for New York. Wardrobe was set up in a parking lot just down the street, out of sight of the cameras.

“Devon! Devon, wait up!”

Ryo didn’t register the voice shouting, too distracted by the chafing of his safety harness and the intricacies of the chase scene, so he was more than a little startled when someone grabbed him, linking their arm with his and chattering away.

“Devon, honey, why didn’t you stop when I shouted? I wanted to talk to you about some ideas I’ve had for the scene where you save me from Alejandro.” Jessica Wilde, the up-and-coming young actress who’d been cast as Devon Hall’s love interest in the movie, clung to Ryo’s arm and snuggled close.

“Ms Wilde…” Ryo started.

Jessica gasped, pulling away to stare up at him. “Wait, you’re not…”

“No, I’m Devon’s stunt double. He’s still filming up on the roof, but he should be done soon.”

“Oh. Oops!” Jessica giggled. “Silly me. You looked just like Devon from behind.”

“That’s the general idea,” Ryo agreed.

“Really? I’d better go find Devon.”

“What was that about?” Dee asked, jogging over to his friend.

“Mistaken identity.” Ryo smiled wryly. “Suddenly I feel really sorry for Devon.”

The End