New interview with Larnell Stovall

07.07.2011EvilDollaR

Larnell, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to answer some questions about your career. What martial arts did you practice before and how did it all start?

Larnell Stovall: I started with Shotokan Karate, Aikido, and then some Ninjutsu training. In order to keep up with others, at competitions I had to change my technique to a more catchy one. I started training in martial arts at the age of 13, and one of my classmates was a quiet boy who was an excellent student. I was such a clown in class, but I respected him. He told me he was a black belt and I attended the Blue Lion Karate Academy. The rest is history. I was hooked.

How did you get into the film business?

Larnell Stovall: A friend of mine invited me to Los Angeles to film a staged fight. I agreed to his offer, flew out, and filmed a short fight for a promo trailer. Four months later, Chuck Jeffries, an excellent fight director, invited me to work on Blade 4. For some business reasons, he was removed, but I still went to Los Angeles and decided to take advantage of the opportunity. After Blade 2, I believed that using martial arts you could “break through” into the film industry.

Your career started with acting. For what reason did you retrain as a stunt/fight coordinator?

Larnell Stovall: It's interesting that I didn't make the decision. My heart was in stunts, but due to lack of work and opportunities, I had to try myself in something else. The fight choreography started with the idea that I would have a lot of free time (laughs). I made a short film “Steel”, in which I developed the choreography and played the main role. “Steel” received several awards and my colleagues noticed that I had the makings of a talented choreographer. My biggest opportunity came when my good friend JJ Perry, who was busy working on another film, asked me to replace him in Undisputed 3 (author's note: Perry was the choreographer for Undisputed 2).

As an actor, stuntman, stunt/fight coordinator, you also acted as a supporting cast director for the films Undisputed 3 and Never Back Down 3, and in addition were a web producer. series “Mortal Kombat: Legacy”. Which of these activities do you prefer?

Larnell Stovall: I prefer to work as a director/second cast director. Over time, I hope to become a full-time director. Well, now I want to build a kind of foundation, which will be based on the highest quality action scenes of the films I worked on.

You have an impressive track record considering such a relatively short period of time. You are now like a “lifesaver” when it comes to stunts/fights in large and small projects. You are listed on IMDb as a stunt performer in the 2001 film The One. What was that first stunt experience like, and did you work directly with Jet Li?

Larnell Stovall: I was lucky to even get on set. I didn't have a resume, but I was in the right place at the right time. Jet was great to be around and working with him was a dream come true. I'm not even close to being a lifesaver when it comes to fighting. The powers that be do not recognize me yet; To truly attract their attention, you need to make a massive blockbuster. I'll eventually get my hands on a movie like this, but for now I'm quite happy with my smaller movies kicking the ass of the big ones in terms of high quality fights and action.

Larnell, you've been fortunate to work with many action heroes, such as Jet Li, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Jai White, Scott Adkins, Jason Statham and Jean-Claude Van Damme. They are in good physical shape and develop most of the fights themselves. How was it working with these guys?

Larnell Stovall: In such a short period of time, I've been able to work with some of the best. I haven't created any choreography for Dwayne, Jet or Statham yet. Although, if given the opportunity, I will be happy to add “light” to their talents. My recent work with Dolph Lundgren was a great success, he understands this matter and praised my choreography - I even felt uneasy.

As you previously mentioned, in Undisputed 3 you took on the responsibility of stunt/fight design, switching places with your esteemed colleague JJ Perry, who is a very popular director in the industry in his own right. You had the opportunity to work with Isaac Florentine and actor Scott Adkins. The DTV film was successful, one of the best fighting films I have ever seen, you received the title of “Best Fight Director” at “Actionfest” in 2010, and Isaac Florentine received the title of “Best Director”. How does it feel to receive such recognition after several years of working in films?

Larnell Stovall: Surprising, considering there was stiff competition in this category. There was “Chocolate” with Gija Yanin, and, most importantly, “14 of Swords” with Donnie Yen. I was amazed when I found out that I was chosen. This does not put me on the same level as my colleagues. I still have a lot to learn in this matter, and I have only just begun.

The on-screen fights were well edited and there was no camera shake as happens in most modern films. You can see the entire fight and the fighter from head to toe. Was this important to you and Florentine, and what was the goal in developing the fights?

Larnell Stovall: This is entirely due to Isaac as a director and as a video editor. He knew exactly where to place the camera and made rough cuts as he filmed. I learned a lot from him, I consider Isaac a good friend, and I would love to work with him again, if not in Undisputed 4, then in some other film.

The character named Boyka in “Undisputed 3” looks a little different - he was no longer such a villain, but his fighting style has not changed much. Did you make any changes to his fighting style?

Larnell Stovall: There weren't any significant changes for Boyk. Scott is a real beast. I wanted to put my stamp on the fights, and I made it a point to use long takes and use the choreography to its fullest extent. If people wanted to see quick knockouts, I apologize to them - my job is to entertain people and create exciting fights.

Never Back Down 2 is another martial arts movie coming out this year. This was Michael Jai White's directorial debut, and you were involved in the production. Tell us about this film and White's filming process.

Larnell Stovall: Michael Jai White, my older brother, did a great job. I'm glad that he took on the duties of director and did a great job. We talked about Never Back Down 2 months before we started filming. I tried to catch his idea and do everything necessary. I hope the audience will like the film because it is different in spirit and appearance from the first part. The fights will not be even close to being similar to “Undisputed 3”, since they are done in a more realistic style by me, and are made taking into account how they would look if these were real MMA fights.

In 2010, you worked on the short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, which caused a storm of emotions among MK fans around the world. This year you brought us Mortal Kombat: Legacy, which built on the short film and covered the entire Mortal Kombat universe, with intense action scenes and brutal fights that had never been seen in films before. Did you think about this project in advance, and how did you end up there?

Larnell Stovall: Again, JJ was busy and handed the job over to me (laughs). He's my best friend after all. Kevin Tancharoen and I sat down and discussed the short film and his vision. Yes, I was glad, because this is MK and all that, but when I looked at the interpretation, I decided to do everything in my power to help. I liked her concept and “fresh” look. As soon as she became popular, I immediately realized that the director had something else on his mind, and it wouldn’t end there. The deadlines were long, so we managed to film the web series and release it by the time the new part of the game came out, which sold very well.

Speaking about the series, what are you proud of and what would you change if you had the opportunity?

Larnell Stovall: I'm proud of how it turned out and I'm proud of the overall performances of all the actors. They would have given me more time to fight. I didn’t want to disappoint the fans and mainly myself by making a “weak” product. MK has a story, but if the combat is weak, it means I failed. Unfortunately, while working on a web series, 70-80% of the day could be spent on acting, and then I would have to work my magic and shoot a high-quality entire fight in 2-3 hours. I did my best then, but hopefully next time it will be different.

Will Season 1 episodes be released on Blu-ray this year?

Larnell Stovall: I hope so. The final episode featuring robots Sektor and Cyrex will be shown at Comic Con. Let's hope they report on the first season and everything else.

You most recently worked with director John Hyams on Dragon Eyes, and now you're finishing up work with him on Universal Soldier: A New Dimension. Tell us how you got involved in these projects and describe what it was like working in John Hyams' films.

Larnell Stovall: John is a great guy and a great director. I like his approach to fights; he needs bloody, brutal and realistic fights. He takes the time to make sure everything fits in the frame and reveals story elements through the fights.

In “Eyes of the Dragon” you have Cung Le (MMA champion) and Jean-Claude Van Damme. What was the experience like working with Le and Van Damme, and did you learn anything from Van Damme that you had no idea about before?

Larnell Stovall: Cung Le is a great guy, a true professional and a hard worker. You will see him in more than one film. It was my first time working with Van Damme, he responded to my choreography in the best possible way, and overall I was very pleased to work with him.

How did Van Damme perform in battle, and did he give you any instructions during filming? What do you think of Van Damme as a martial artist?

Larnell Stovall: Van Damme certainly had his influence, and we had the opportunity to decide on a set of basic moves that were acceptable for him. Van Damme is a legend of the genre, no one can argue with that. He achieved so much and influenced so many people. “Vandammych” still has many years left in it, and I look forward to any of his next work.

We've all seen the episode of Behind Closed Doors where the stuntman/extras got kicked in the face by Van Damme because he apparently wasn't standing in the designated spot. Do you get frustrated when you come up with the choreography for an episode and then it doesn't go as planned? Was there anything like that on the set?

Larnell Stovall: Actually, it was a one-off, and the guy wasn't a stuntman. He miscalculated the timing and ended up getting hit by Jean-Claude. This happens in the work of stuntmen, and all I need is for this moment to be included in the film, since this happened!!! Why throw away shots with a real blow... (laughs)

John Hyams first made his mark with the martial arts documentary “The Smashing Machine,” and then established himself as “the guy” in DTV movies with “Universal Soldier: Regeneration.” Now you are working with him on the sequel “Universal Soldier 3: The New Dimension”. As I understand it, the film is in 4D format, and will be shot using the same 3D technologies as the new “Spider-Man”. What is filming in 3D like, and has it changed your approach to fight and stunt choreography?

Larnell Stovall: 3D affects how many episodes you can shoot in a day. It takes more time to change lenses, etc. This is the first time I'm creating choreography for a 3D film, so some of the blows in the close-ups had to be done closer to the face. No one was hit and no one was hurt. Overall, it was a good experience as the camera team did a great job of moving quickly to capture more scenes.

Since the film is still in production, can you tell us anything about it or give everyone an idea of ​​what style of fighting to expect?

Larnell Stovall: Bloody, violent, realistic and exciting style.

You work with Adkins, Van Damme, Andrei Arlovski and Dolph Lundgren - in essence, this is the cast of the same “The Expendables”, only in terms of DTV films. What is it like developing the choreography for all these fighting styles, and what else are you responsible for on set?

Larnell Stovall: I am responsible for the choreography, safety and the ability to change things on the fly. Sometimes the location or set may be different from our gym rehearsals. It's funny that you mentioned The Expendables, because I might be helping with the sequel, but if not, I'm fine with Unisol 4. I believe in the success of this film, it will be on par with the action films of 2012/2013, shot on a larger scale and similar in tone.

Have you seen the finished sequences in 3D, and if so, can you tell us what we can expect from the use of 3D in an action film? Of course, it will not look like films with computer graphics like Avatar.

Larnell Stovall: John is not a fan of the blatant, straightforward 3D where everything flies right at you. We didn't have someone's fist or foot appear in front of the audience's faces with a blow. He took a subtle approach with 3D and I'm sure it will work.

You recently choreographed fights for Nicolas Cage in Medallion. How do you like working together?

Larnell Stovall: Nick was a cool, outgoing guy, and he seemed to like the kind of fights I had in mind for him. He only had a few requests, consisting entirely of ideas on how the combat could be improved and “tailored” to his character. Working with him gave me a lot of pleasure.

Larnell, do you have any films in development that you would like to tell us about or just mention?

Larnell Stovall: There are a lot of things in development, but I can't say anything concrete yet. I hope this will change soon, at the moment I have finished working on “Unisol 4”. I still have hopes for a film adaptation of my comics (which will happen eventually) and I think I'm ready to do some kind of fantasy film with fights. I will publish the news on my Twitter or on my Facebook page.

Author: Jonathan Urban
Source: moviehole.net
Translation: EvilDollaR

Home » The Interview » New interview with Larnell Stovall
Tags: Boyka: Undisputed, Dragon Eyes, Mortal Kombat Rebirth, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, Undisputed 3: Redemption, Isaac Florentine, John Hyams, Larnell Stovall, Scott Adkins

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