One stunt in aDenzel Washingtonaction movie nearly went horribly wrong, a stuntman reveals. Throughout his career, Washington has appeared in many celebrated roles, winning Oscars for his performances inGloryandTraining Day.He continues to expand his filmography alongside well-known Hollywood talent. Unlimited in terms of range or genre, some other credits includeMalcolm X,Much Ado About Nothing,Remember the Titans,American Gangster, andFences(which he also directed). However,it has been Washington’s action thriller roles that do particularly well at the box office, as evidenced byThe Equalizerfranchise.
Among his more famous movies is 2004’sMan on Fire, where he played John W. Creasy, a former CIA agent who targets criminals responsible for kidnapping Lupita Ramos (Dakota Fanning). That film marked Washington’s secondcollaboration with the late Tony Scott, having already starred inCrimson Tide.The pair would reunite for three more riveting productions, includingDéjà VuandThe Taking of Pelham 123, which saw Washington portray ATF agent Doug Carlin and New York City subway worker Walter Garber, respectively, and featured many intense action scenes.
One Scene From Washington’s Unstoppable Nearly Went Wrong
A Stunt Pilot Reveals What Happened While Filming
Stunt pilot Fred North reveals that Washington’s 2010 action movieUnstoppable, again directed by Scott, nearly resulted in disaster. Based on the 2001 Crazy Eights incident,Unstoppablefollows engineer Frank Barnes and conductor Will Colson in their effort to immobilize an unmanned, runaway freight train. Along with Washington, the cast includes Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, and Kevin Dunn. Since premiering, the movie generated $167.8 million at the box office andhas been praised for its memorable action sequences, involving impact crashes and explosions.
Unstoppablewas the last movie directed by Scott before his death in 2012.
DuringCorridor Crew’s “Stunt Pilot Reacts to Bad & Great Helicopter Stunts” video, North explained how filming one explosive scene forUnstoppablealmost went wrong. He revealed that, despite timing the stunt,none of the action occurred when it should have.This caused him to be near the heat as the sequence was performed. Read North’s comments below:
When there’s an explosion, I’m the one to time it. Because it’s difficult for them to know how close I can go. It’s a half a second decision and what happened is, I’m telling the guys, you know, ten, five, blah blah, the count, and when I get to action, nothing happened. The thing doesn’t go off and it’s like, one thousand, two thousand, now I know I’m going to be barbecue. But you have to understand, I’m really waiting the last second and then at this point. So, I was way closer than I was supposed to be.
Our Take On The Unstoppable Action
While Dangerous, The Stunts Are Impressive
A nerve-racking experience,Unstoppablefeatures some impressive action and stunt work throughout, including that scene discussed in the video. The explosion happened when a locomotive was derailed, causing it to completely fall over, and North’s comments about that sequence reveal how dangerous something like that can be to capture on film;Scott even referred to him as “French toast.“Had things gone wrong,the story ofUnstoppablewould’ve been drastically different, highlighting just how important it is to make sure stunt performers are protected on set.
Unstoppable
Cast
Unstoppable is an action thriller directed by Tony Scott, starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. The film follows a veteran engineer and a young conductor as they race against time to stop an unmanned, runaway train carrying hazardous materials. Set against a backdrop of high-stakes tension, the film explores themes of bravery and quick thinking under pressure.
