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Brentwood Press - DiscoveryBayPress_07.25.08 - Index

JULY 25, 2008 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 11A
Work from page 3A
The event occurred while filming “Alexander”
– starring Colin Farrell – in Morocco.
“The scene we were fi lming was the last
one of the day, with two horses and a chariot,”
said Kearney. “I was supposed to just
get knocked down by the chariot and then
they drive off. But somehow the horses got
spooked and they ran right over me; chariot
and all. I ended up with three cracked ribs.
But the director (Oliver Stone) loved it and
kept it in the movie.”
Dangerous stunts are par for the
course, said Kearney, who has also been hit
by cars, stabbed with sabers and set on the
fi re. “It does kind of take your breath away,”
he said. But it’s getting set on fi re that reigns
as the most dangerous trick of all. During
the fi lming of an episode for a UK TV series,
Kearney was set completely on fi re in
what is called a “full burn.”
Preparation for the scene takes far longer
than the action itself and involves wearing
a silicon mask, and getting a fi re-resistant
glue rubbed over the entire body – face
and hands included. Once the stuntman is
set afl ame, he must hold his breath; otherwise
he’ll inhale smoke and fl ames and
“That’ll be that,” said Kearney.
“It is a bit daunting, but you don’t feel
like your burning, really; you’re just very hot,”
he said. “But it takes a lot of practice to get the
timing right, and figure out how long you can
hold your breath for. It’s a great stunt.”
While all fi lms are exciting to make,
said Kearney, there are certain jobs where
everyone involved shares the feeling they are
part of something truly special. Such was the
case, said Kearney of “The Dark Knight”
production.
“Yes, when we were on the set, we all
felt that this was going to be the best Batman
ever,” he said. “Heath’s and Christian’s
performances were amazing. Meeting
Heath was really great, and then to hear two
months later that he had died, well, it was
just so shocking. There is talk about him getting
nominated (for an Oscar), and after seeing
his total performance, I think he should
be. He was defi nitely a dark joker.”
Now back in the light of day, away from
the gloom of Gotham, Kearney is managing
to steal a few weeks at home with his wife.
“I’m happy to here in beautiful Brentwood
for a while,” said Kearney, who settled in
East County two years ago after he and Laura
decided on a non-Hollywood lifestyle. “Sometimes
it seems that you are everywhere but on
your own front step. It’s nice to be home.”
Later this month, Kearney will be
heading to New Mexico to fi nish up work
on “Terminator 4,” and while he’s there, he
might try to talk the director into letting him
do the stunt of all stunts – a little trick he
calls the “ratchet.”
“I’ve never done it, but it would involve
being thrown into the air, lit on fi re and then
with wires, being pulled fi rst one way and
then another. I think it would be really, really
cool,” said Kearney, who added that his last
boss nixed the idea, saying, “‘Flying and fi re
don’t mix.’ But we’ll see. Maybe someday.”
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