John David Washington is not one to shy away from stunt work, as he’s starred in plenty of action movies. Washington’s latest movie, The Creator, takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where it's man vs. artificial intelligence, and with the Tenet star leading the movie as an ex-special forces agent recruited to kill a weapon that threatens to wipe out humanity, you know there will be massive stunts throughout. Despite his history of action movies, Washington said the stunts he did for the film were the “hardest thing” he’s ever done.
Based on what was shown in the theatrical trailer and IMAX preview of the action-packed thriller, we see John David Washington doing some serious running and gunning against military forces in Gareth Edwards’ The Creator. Washington told Entertainment Tonight that compared to anything else he’s ever done, the stunt work the 39-year-old actor did for the movie truly took the cake. Said Washington,
It is the hardest thing I've ever done. I've had some challenging stunts, this is by far the hardest thing I've ever done, getting strung up and dragged around, tossed around in a giant spacesuit that weighs a ton and trying to look heroic.
John David Washington went on to say that one thing that helped him get through his hard stunts was being surrounded by a talented cast. He was mesmerized by co-star Allison Janney’s performance when she chose to cry in the middle of a scene. Knowing you’ve got a full team of gifted people to work with should build up your confidence to handle any challenges that come your way.
And to think the BlacKkKlansman star almost didn’t get hired for The Creator after wearing a Mandalorian face mask during his first meeting with the director. Despite knowing Gareth Edwards directed Rogue One, Washington wasn’t trying to appear as a fan. He truly wanted to be part of Edwards’ sci-fi film based on his genuine interest in the script.
This former football player has had to go perform some wild stunts throughout his acting career. In Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, he filmed a “crazy” backwards fight scene that led him to accidentally kick cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, who was just trying to hone in on the action with his IMAX camera. For Netflix’s Beckett, Washington gets shot at, punched, tied up, and more. I’m sure when he looks back at his previous action movies, the stunt work he did for them may seem amateurish compared to getting dragged, and tossed in The Creator.
The Creator came out the past weekend and there was a mixed reaction among audiences and critics. Initial screenings had audiences call the A.I sci-fi film “life-changing,” with John David Washington giving a career-best performance and people praising some of the film's finest visuals audiences had ever seen. Critics had a more split reaction where some found it thought-provoking while others didn’t think it was original enough. But everyone seems to be in agreement that the movie’s visuals were a true standout.
You can now witness John David Washington's hard work in The Creator, which is now playing in theaters everywhere.
