Stuntman Adam Kirley On Crashing An Aston Martin In Casino Royale
In a recent interview posted at Last Broadcast, stuntman Adam Kirley, who has worked on such films as Die Another Day, Batman Begins, The Da Vinci Code, and recently in Casino Royale where he crashed an Aston Martin, discussed what it was like working on the 21st official James Bond film.
When asked what was the stunt he was most proud of, Kirley answered: ‘I’ve got a Top Three which changes all the time, but the main one has to be crashing the Aston Martin at 80mph in Casino Royale. To get the Guinness World Record, and then to be nominated for the World Stunt Awards too… we’re going to LA in May, representing the UK! We’re up for Best High Work, for the crane jump at the start, and Best Work With A Vehicle. To be a stuntman for a Bond movie was just beyond my dreams. When Pierce (Brosnan) was Bond I was always too short as I’m 5ft 10, but I’ve been doubling for Daniel (Craig) for a few years now, so when there were rumours about him getting the part I knew maybe there was the potential, and then to get the call… I could just retire now as a happy man! I’ve been so fortunate even getting into the industry, but to double for James Bond is just the ultimate accolade really.’
‘We crashed three or four [Aston Martins] I think. And there were two BMWs that we tested on. The Aston Martin is such a work of art … you can’t help but have a little smile, thinking you’ve got permission to crash a £200,000 car! I was only the second or third person to drive that new model, and I got to be the first to crash one!’
‘We rehearsed for the crane jump for three months, in a stage jumping 20ft from a platform, practising landing on such a tight mark on the floor,’ he says when asked about Casino Royale‘s early action sequence between 007 and Mollaka. ‘Then we rehearsed for a few weeks in the Bahamas. Self-preservation would still kick in though when it came to actually doing the jump, it didn’t get any easier each time!’
Most recently, Kirley worked on The Golden Compass, which also features Craig and Eva Green, and the third Jason Bourne thriller, The Bourne Ultimatum.
When asked if he’d be back for Bond 22, Kirley said: ‘It’s never definite with these things, but they seemed very happy with the work we did, so I think we start rehearsing in November, and then start shooting early next year. The Bond movies are infamously secretive though, so I’ve no idea what we’ll be doing, but I know it’s a brand new script. Hopefully we’ll be filming somewhere hot though!’
Click here to read the full interview.
Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest Casino Royale and Bond 22 coverage.