Mike Fury discusses his new book Life of Action II…
Following his 2015 book Life of Action: Interviews with the Men and Women of Action Cinema, Mike Fury has penned a second book, chatting in-depth with a brand-new cast of subjects. Adding to his writing portfolio, Fury has worked in the stunt department on movies such as Avengement starring Scott Adkins (Doctor Strange), I Am Soldier starring Noel Clarke (Bulletproof) and Confine starring fashion model Daisy Lowe.
Mike Fury’s Life of Action II takes readers behind-the-scenes again for a compelling series of conversations, shedding light on the overlooked and misunderstood world of action genre cinema. In this latest collection of interviews, we meet and get under the skin of some of the hardest working actors, filmmakers and stunt professionals working today to find out what motivates and inspires them, and the lessons we can take.
Featuring new interviews with top talent such as Zoë Bell (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Death Proof), Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite, Spawn), Frank Grillo (Captain America: Civil War, Wheelman), Tony Jaa (Fast & Furious 7, Ong Bak), Simon West (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Con Air), Vic Armstrong (Total Recall, Raiders of the Lost Ark), Gareth Evans (Gangs of London, The Raid) and many more, this is a must-have for creatives and film fans, alike.
Sharing unique stories and exclusive images from Bond, Indiana Jones, John Wick, The Raid, The Expendables and more, Life of Action II is an action-packed anthology unlike any other and raises the bar as any sequel should. Fury opened up on the origins of the book…
How was this Life of Action concept first devised?
I’d been a journalist for a number of years and worked on various films. Formally interviewing people as you do, alongside conversations with my friends – action actors, stunt performers and so on – I found many of them had fascinating and sometimes crazy stories about their experiences on set. Once I started transcribing initial interviews and approaching others to be involved in this loose format for a book, there was a snowball effect. In the end, the book came out and the reaction was so positive that it took on a life of its own. After taking a break and allowing the dust to settle, I started on a second volume. Each book has taken around three years to complete, from start to finish. I have a DIY punk rock approach in most things I do. So, while I work with a very small team at times, particularly in the later editing and design stages, I’m responsible for the whole thing and I’m happy with that. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun.
The first book from 2015 had some great names interviewed, like Scott Adkins (The Expendables 2), Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV), even John Wick director Chad Stahelski and Atomic Blonde & Hobbs and Shaw director David Leitch. How did that come about?
Yes, I was very happy and lucky to speak to all those guys. Scott is a friend and was the very first person to agree to come on board, which helped me a lot, as once again you get that snowball effect. Then it’s just about pitching and approaching, and hoping you get lucky.
I’ve been a fan of the 87eleven Action Design company for a long time and back then David and Chad, the company bosses (and former stuntmen and coordinators), were co-directing their first feature which was John Wick! In hindsight, it was a pivotal moment to speak to them both about their immense careers, what was coming next and also include exclusive, on set photos in that first book. They’re now fully-fledged Hollywood filmmakers and it’s been awesome to see that progression, and 87eleven is still going strong! Another stunt team member in the first book, Sam Hargrave, just directed his first feature, Extraction, for Netflix. So clearly the whole team is very talented, and we’ll definitely be seeing more filmmakers emerge from that camp.
What was your aim with the second book, and did you want to top the first?
Naturally, you’ll always want to top what’s come before, otherwise what’s the point? Although I’m very happy with the first book, I felt there was an opportunity to approach people I either couldn’t access first time around, usually down to scheduling, or names I’d have a better chance of speaking to with the added kudos from the first book.
So, I spoke at length to Zoë Bell, Frank Grillo, Tony Jaa, Simon West, Vic Armstrong, Kelly Hu, Cung Le and many more. I met stunt coordinator Steve McQuillan on the set of my wife Gillian MacGregor’s film The Stolen, when it filmed in New Zealand, so we kept in touch. I got to hang out with Michael Jai White while he was filming in London and had dinner with Gareth Evans while he was working on his Gangs of London TV series. What you get is an unfiltered conversation and the real essence of this person and what drives them and their work, which is exactly what I’m interested in. I’m a fan first and foremost so I really love asking these questions. And Gareth is known to be a huge Jackie Chan fan so we spent ages just talking about those classic films, what could be better?
How do you decide on who to interview?
I have a pretty diverse taste in cinema and action movies specifically, ranging from what might be considered B-movie to East Asian to mainstream Hollywood. So, the names I approach are varied but I’m mainly interested in the ‘person’ and their work. Whether it’s an actor, filmmaker or stunt performer, their output should make a bigger statement about who they are or what they do. That’s just my opinion and personal taste. You could be a dramatic actor who trains for action, or a pro fighter who transitioned from the cage to the screen, I admire both, but to me it’s more about the substance behind it all. I’m personally drawn to an interesting character with a compelling creative process, and of course it helps to be a fan. I think in these Life of Action interviews, you get a sense of each artist’s unique personality and approach.
Zoë Bell is on the cover of Life of Action II. She’s having an amazing career…
Yes, she’s absolutely awesome. I’m such a fan of both her as a person, and her work. If anyone hasn’t seen it, I encourage everyone to watch Double Dare, the documentary. It shows her early stunt career, coming off Xena: Warrior Princess and her life-changing audition for Quentin Tarantino which landed her Kill Bill, doubling Uma Thurman. Of course, she went on to work with him again in Death Proof, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and she’s now worked on a wide range of films as an actress, performer and stunt coordinator.
I had such a blast speaking to Zoë for the book. She’s very open and honest, funny and completely inspiring at the same time, and after that long conversation I was hoping to feature her on the cover. Creatively, it’s what I wanted; I just needed to find and clear the right imagery that would work with what I had in mind. Then we got this amazing shot from Raze, a very underrated film she starred in and produced, and that was it.
What do you hope readers gain from Life of Action II, and will you write a third book?
The audience is really interesting and I’m super grateful for all praise and support. I get messages from filmmakers, actors, students, film buffs, critics, anyone and everyone passionate about cinema. So, again I hope people find these stories insightful. If you have any aspirations to do your own creative work, I think there’s a lot to be gained from these shared experiences. As for a third book, let’s wait and see! I’m still very much in the headspace of the second book right now.
In the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys these long-form conversations. These are talented artists by any standard, their backdrop just happens to be action. If it wasn’t for film or television, I believe they’d all be doing other interesting things.
Life of Action II: Interviews with the Men and Women of Action Cinema is out now in hardback, paperback and Kindle. For more info visit here.
