Prime-Video - Reacher Season 2 : Discover the interview with Buster Reeves, stunt supervisor

By Mulder, 14 december 2023

Buster Reeves is a famous British stunt coordinator and actor in the film industry. However, please note that I have no information beyond this date. Buster Reeves is known for his work coordinating and executing stunts in various high-profile films. Stunt coordinators are responsible for planning and executing action sequences, ensuring the safety of cast and crew while achieving the desired visual impact for the film. Stuntmen, like Buster Reeves, are skilled individuals who perform these physically demanding and often dangerous scenes. Buster Reeves has worked on numerous blockbusters, and his expertise in this field has earned him industry recognition. Stunt coordinators and stuntmen play an essential role in action film production, contributing significantly to the success of many Hollywood productions.

Q: How did he get from Yorkshire to Hollywood (...and how did Star Wars and Gladiators (a 90s TV classic) help him get there !

Buster Reeves: I come from a small town in Yorkshire and grew up watching Star Wars. While some people marveled at Luke Skywalker, I'd watch the battle scenes where Stormtroopers would get shot at and fall into the middle of a spaceship, thinking, "That's what I want to do! I was fascinated by Luke Skywalker's stunt work, so I set out to find out how I could do that. Where I come from, nobody knew how to become a stuntman. You'd hear about London, with the James Bond films, or Hollywood, where the films were shot, so I wanted to know how to get there. I started by practicing martial arts and took part in competitions all over the world. At the time, Gladiators [the classic 90s TV show] was very popular, and a girl [Eunice Huthart] used to take part in the fighting circuit with me. She ended up working in the film industry as a stuntwoman and inspired me to do the same. Eunice [Huthart] introduced me to a company that did stunts and introduced me to the team she worked with, and I ended up getting an audition. I did a lot of networking, and that's where it all started. So thank you, Eunice!

Q: What's a typical day like on set ?

Buster Reeves: It changes every day, depending on the action sequence we're shooting. For me, a typical day on set consists of making sure my radio has been checked, so that everyone can contact me. I make sure the guys are ready, that the actor has what he needs. If we're doing a big stunt, I have to make sure that we have all the necessary equipment at hand - for example, the buffers are ready, there's a fire extinguisher at hand. I run my department, but I also have to make sure that the actors and the set are safe. I make sure that everything I do is in order, so that when I say to the director of photography, "Everything's ready on my end, let me know when you're ready", he'll reply, "Thank you very much - and... action!".

Q: How long does it take to train a stuntman for a scene ?

Buster Reeves: Depending on whether a scene requires props or not, we spend a few days defining the process, the people we need and the number of stuntmen required. It can take a few days, and then we rehearse. If we do a big fight like the one in season 1 - [shower fight scene, Reacher S1] - it took us a few weeks to get everything in place. Two weeks for the choreography, four weeks for Alan's rehearsals. Because he was fighting six guys at once, everyone had to know exactly where he was moving and when. You don't want someone standing in the shadows thinking, "When is it my turn to get hit?" So it all depends on the complexity of the stunt. For something like this [the shower scene in Reacher S1], we rehearsed for six weeks, from start to finish, before going to shoot.

Q: Do you learn on the job or do you choreograph ?

Buster Reeves: This is my 24th year as a stuntman, and I've been lucky enough to be involved in some very big box-office action sequences, from Troy to Batman to War of the Worlds. Seeing how others [stunt coordinators] work, you're constantly drawing on your past experiences to make them your own. I've lived through enough scenarios to be able to say to myself: "I remember that in such-and-such a series, we did this in a certain way, I remember that in such-and-such another series, we did it this way". But then I add my own flair so that it's me who does it. In general, [stunts] are learned on the job. That's why I'm a big proponent of "doing your time" as a stuntman, with injuries and everything, so that when you're in charge [of coordinating a scene], you have the knowledge to put the proper safety measures in place.

Q: Do you have a favorite fight scene that you've worked on ?

Buster Reeves: I loved the shower fight sequence in season 1 of Reacher. There's also a scene coming up in the second season that I love - I can't talk about it! Apart from Reacher, the final fight between Batman and Bane in Dark Knight Rises was very important, as I had to choreograph not only Batman and Bane, but also all the riot sequences and the guys fighting. It was both fun and very complex.

Q: Do you have a particular style ?

Buster Reeves: I really do have a style that characterizes me when I'm fighting. Everyone who knows me or has competed with me says, "I can tell it was you!". I can tell [the choreography of the scene] just by the way the actors move. I like to pride myself on choreographing the style and the fight according to the script and the director. So I like to read the script and discuss it with the director. Then you have to train the actor to do it, and he has his own approach to how his character can move, which has to be taken into consideration.

Q: What are the most common misconceptions about stunt work?

"We come in and do our own thing with the action or fights, when in reality we're telling a story and bringing the director's vision to life. [The stunt process] is a constantly evolving form in your head as you create fights for other people. You could do it yourself all day long, because you know what works for you and what doesn't. But what I find really exciting is bringing someone else's vision to life.

Q: What's the difference between training professionals and actors ?

Buster Reeves: I've noticed that a lot of professional actors or stuntmen practice various forms of exercise these days - like martial arts and, with the UFC boom, jiu-jitsu, everyone's doing something. So [depending on their skills], to train an actor, you have to start by breaking the movements down to the basics. It may take a few sessions to loosen them up, but eventually they blend into their character and make it their own.

Q: What's your training playlist ?

Buster Reeves: I love country music! It's fun to train to it - I'd train all day to country music. Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Luke Bryant. Every now and then, I'll put on a bit of Metallica or ACDC.

Synopsis :
Reacher is pulled from his vagabond life by a coded message informing him that a member of the 110th - his elite group of Army Special Investigators - has been murdered. He and some of his former military cohorts reunite to investigate and soon realize the case is bigger than they ever could have imagined

Reacher
Directors : Omar Madha, Sam Hill
Written by Omar Madha, Sam Hill, Nick Santora, Penny Cox
Based on Jack Reacher novel series by Lee Child
Producers : Agatha Warren
Developed by Nick Santora
Starring Alan Ritchson, Maria Sten, Gavin Fox, David MacInnis, Arlen Aguayo Stewart, Kevan Kase, Neven Pajkic, Emeka Menakaya, Robert Patrick, Domenick Lombardozzi, Serinda Swan, Shaun Sipos, Ty Olsson, Shannon Kook, Al Sapienza, Ferdinand Kingsley, Luke Bilyk, Josh Blacker, Saida Ali, Dean McKenzie, Michèle Kaye, Nolan Gahan, Amy Keating, Andres Collantes, Edsson Morales, Ashton Cressman, Marvin Ishmael, Omar Tucci, Jason McCormack
Composer : Tony Morales
Executive producers : Lee Child, Nick Santora, Scott Sullivan, Don Granger, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross
Cinematography : Michael McMurray, Bernard Couture
Edited by J.J. Geiger, Eric Seaburn, Sang Han
Production companies : Amazon Studios, Blackjack Films, Paramount Television Studios, Skydance Television
Network : Amazon Prime Video
Release: February 4, 2022 – present