Derrick Simmons
By Darlene Donloe
If
you ask Derrick Simmons how old he is, he’ll tell you he’s ‘a day older than
yesterday and a day younger than tomorrow.’
That’s
all you’re going to get out of the stuntman/actor/filmmaker. He doesn’t reveal his age because on
any given day, he may have to be young, old, or somewhere in between. In his line of work, he doesn’t want
his age to be a factor, a distraction or a deterrent.
For
16 years Simmons, a New York native and father of two sons, has been mastering
his craft as a stuntman, a stunt coordinator, an actor and a filmmaker.
His
hard work paid off and made him a popular and highly-respected stuntman whose
credits include: The Good Wife, Blue
Bloods, Boardwalk Empire, Blacklist and Orange Is the New Black, to name a few.
One of his most notable stunts was for the Tyler Perry
film, Diary of A Mad Black Woman, when he was shoved from a
wheelchair into a bathtub by actress Kimberly Elise. One of Hollywood's best kept secrets, he
has doubled for Kenan Thompson on Saturday Night Live and recently completed work on the set
of The Following.
This
spring Simmons will complete his latest film as a stunt coordinator, No More Mr. Nice Guy, a drama written by
Carl Weber. Simmons is coordinating all of the action sequences, including
fights and stunt driving. The film stars Miguel
Nunez, Lamman Rucker and Christian Keys.
He also wrote,
directed and stars in the action, suspense and thriller film, "Nobody’s
Perfect," under his Simmons Enterprises film production company (http://www.nobodysperfectfilm.com). The film is a rags to riches story
about a younger woman name Sasha (Lexi Moeller) who meets Morgan (Simmons) the
man of her dreams with the perfect lifestyle and image. They quickly fall in
love. Once they get married, her perfect dream turns into a nightmare.
Simmons, who
also helms a record label, is a busy man on a mission. He’s focused and
determined, but he hasn’t lost his exuberance for life or his fun-loving persona.
I
recently caught up with the entertainment veteran to talk about his career.
DD:
How did your career start?
DS:
When I was eight-years-old I used to get in a lot of fights. I had a Napoleon complex.
My parents got tired of coming up to the school. My school counselor said, ‘Why
not put him in a performing art class?’ I took one class and I said this is
what I’m going to be. My fighting days were over. At 10-years-old an agent saw
me. I did a national Burger King commercial. My first check was $1800. I joined SAG (Screen Actors Guild).
DD:
Talk about your latest film. How do you prepare for a film when you’re the
stunt coordinator?
DS:
I have to break down the script. I go through the whole script. I look at the
scenes and how many people are needed. Do they need pads? Is someone getting
shot? After I break down scenes, if there are a lot of fights, I do a rehearsal
day and teach the actors a fight sequence.
DD:
How did your career progress?
DS:
I started to do television shows. They started pulling me out of scenes and
letting stunt people do it. I said, ‘I can do it myself.’ They said, ‘no.’
DD:
So when did you do your first stunt?
DS:
My first stunt was for New York
Undercover. After that everybody
started calling me.
DD:
Tell me how you became a stuntman and why?
DS:
I love being a stuntman. When I go to work I know I’m doing all of the action.
I don’t like getting hurt.
DD:
Talk about the process.
DS:
Before I do a stunt, I do the measurements. Everything is technical. I can do
anything with a car. Everything is calculated. There is a chance we can get
hurt every time but if we do it correctly, we won’t get hurt.
DD:
You say you don’t like getting hurt. However, I take it you’ve gotten pretty
beaten up over the years.
DS:
I’ve been hit by a car, set on fire and I’ve jumped off bridges.
DD:
You’ve been a stuntman for 16 years.
How many times have you really gotten hurt?
DS:
I’ve gotten hurt twice. The first time I rolled my ankle and broke my
collarbone. It was a freak accident. I had been doing stunts for about six
years. I remember I was doing NYPD Blue when I hit a pothole while running down
the street. I felt bad because I
couldn’t continue. They weren’t happy. They said, ‘Jesus Christ, you call
yourself a stunt man?’ I was down
for three and a half months.
DD:
What about the second time?
DS:
The second time was when I was doing a Bell Telephone commercial. There were
five of us riding five bikes and a lady is supposed to stand in the middle of
the road. On the first take we all
fell and all broke our collarbones. I was down for four-five months.
DD:
When you first got into the biz, who did you look up to?
DS: I didn’t have a mentor. No one took me
under their wing.
DD:
Is it OK in your profession to be scared?
DS: I’m scared everyday I go in to do the
stunt. If you’re scared it will keep you alive. If not, you will get hurt.
I
pray. I hate heights. I remember one of my first stunts they called me and said
they needed me to fall off of a bridge. It was about 40 feet. I prayed. I did
it, then I did it one more time.
DD:
What stunt are you most proud of?
DS:
My car hit on Third Watch. It was nominated
for an Emmy.
DD:
Have you every turned down a stunt?
DS:
Yes. I turned down one in New Orleans. They wanted me to be in a swamp with an
alligator only 50 ft. away. I
said, ‘No.’
DD:
What makes a good stuntman?
DS: Somebody that does their homework
before doing stunts. Make sure you’re not over your head. Always be prepared
and always be on time. Time is money.
DD:
What advice would you give someone who wants to do stunts?
DS:
Train first and network with other stunt people. Take gymnastics, martial arts
and rock climbing. Maybe learn how to do tricks on motorcycles. Get into fighting
and boxing.
DD:
What do you wish you had known before you got into stunts?
DS: That I had to network. I’m not someone
who hustles. If I had, I would have gotten a lot further quicker. Luckily my phone always rings.
DD: Talk to me about Nobody’s Perfect, your third film.
DS:
I wrote it, produced it and directed it. I had a digital distributor, a limited
theatrical release. I like being involved in every aspect of the film. I find
that rewarding. It’s an awesome film.
DD:
What have you learned about filmmaking?
DS: It lets me express myself. It lets me explore my creativity.
DD:
Nobody’s Perfect is very dramatic.
DS:
Yes. The backdrop is domestic violence. It’s intense, but it has a message.
DD:
You are an actor, a stuntman, a stunt coordinator, a writer and a filmmaker. If
you could only do one, what would it be?
DS:
Acting is my first love. It’s what got me into the business. As a director I
can paint a picture. Producing is power. I like writing and creating a story.
It’s all a way to create. I wrote 12 movies, I shot three movies. I have nine
more scripts.
DD:
Who are some of the people you’ve done stunts for?
DS:
Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, Morris Chestnut, Larenz Tate, Kevin Hart,
Taye Diggs, Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx in the movie, Ray. In the Ninja Turtle
movie I was a Whoopi (Goldberg) double.
I’ve doubled for more than 50 actors over the years. I’ve bonded with some of the people like
Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan and Charlie Murphy.
DD:
What else is happening in your career?
DS: I recently shot the show, Elementary. I’m playing an undercover
cop. Lucy Liu is directing.
DD: Are you a
member of the Black Stuntman’s Association?
DS:
No, I don’t want to isolate myself.
I choose not to join any stunt associations. I work for everyone. It’s
very political.
DD:
Recently there was an article on the Black Stuntman’s Association that appeared
on EURWEB.com. Apparently Warner Bros. was going to cast a white stuntwoman to play
the double for a black guest actress on Fox’s hit show, “Gotham.” Talk about how you feel about the paint down
controversy.
DS:
I’m strongly against paint downs. We have more than enough black stuntwomen on
the east and west coast. There is no need to use paint downs. I found myself having to cross the line
and play a black actress. I told
them there are black stuntwomen. Believe it or not, I was the stunt double in Precious. Lee Daniels wanted me to do
it.
DD:
Really? So that was you in the
stairs scene?
DS: It’s me falling down the stairs with a
baby in my hand. I had on earrings and a fat suit. It wasn’t a paint down but I
took a job from a black actress. It’s not fair. I’m totally against paint
downs. But, the reality is, producers are going to hire who they want to hire.
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