Stunt Doubles

I use alot of different stunt guys to double ANGEL depending on the particular skill we need for a fight/stunt. I have one who looks alot like David and has his exact hair-style (seen in SURPRISE). However, this time I was worried that his martial arts skills were not up to the level I needed for the sword-fight. Especially after I had already had to cut back on the skills used in the KENDRA fights in BECOMING PART 1 because her regular stunt double was out of town. Joss and I knew that there was very little time to hide faces with the lighting and camera angles (which we normally do) in the cramped shooting space we had for the sword-fight. The hair department also didn't have time to fool with a wig - so we just went with the stuntman's regular hair.

We had a choice of either having the typical-looking easy tv sword battle between two actors (though Sarah & David did an excellent job in their shots for the fight and worked really hard at it) and having two highly skilled pros tear into each other at full-speed. We decided to go for the coolest action we could make in the short time we had. That's why you get to see the faces that you normally never see. Otherwise it's pretty rare to see on BUFFY - unless you go frame by frame and really look hard for them.

Sophia and the stunt guys have performed every fight scene that is more than one punch long that we have done on the show this season. It seems to work pretty well for us. At any rate - even though the sword fight is a favorite of both Joss and myself and the majority of the fans of the show - we will try hard not to let that happen too often. Though I've been told to always choose the cool action with a less-than-a-match stunt double over the perfect stunt double match and lousy action every time.

btw- The blonde vamp who fought with Sophia and was staked in the finale' scene was Tae Kwon Do champ, Clay Barber. He and Sophia fought vamps in a hospital parking lot in THE DARK AGES episode (with Clay doubling ANGEL) and he looks nothing like David. Check it out again, if you can, and see if you can tell upon first viewing that it is Sophia and Clay. That's an example of our normal lighting/camera angles on most fights.

- Jeff Pruitt (BUFFY: THE VAMPIRE SLAYER's STUNT COORDINATOR)

Sarah Michelle Gellar with her stunt double.

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