Brownstein: Gun Safety is a Serious Topic for Montreal Stunt Specialists

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Robyn McNicoll leapt off buildings and bridges, plunged into raging rapids, survived a mock hanging, and got behind the wheel for heartbreaking car chases through jammed city streets, but little has scared this veteran Montreal stunt actor more. that the action of the cinema and the television with firearms. play.

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Over the course of his 35-year career, McNicoll has shot and been shot numerous times with support pistols, but due to strict safety rules on set, he has managed to avoid any form of personal injury.

McNicoll, like most in the business, was shocked to learn of the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the western film Rust. Alec Baldwin, the star of the film and one of its producers, was rehearsing a scene in which he removed what he believed to be a “cold pistol”, one without bullets, from its holster when it was unloaded, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

“My jaw dropped when I found out about that. I just couldn’t believe it. How the heck could this happen? I have no idea why there would be live ammunition there, ”said McNicoll, who has doubled for the likes of Catherine Deneuve, Amy Madigan and the late Margot Kidder over the years. “The security measures surrounding weapons are very strict on our sets, particularly with weapons. The stunt coordination departments have gun handlers, gunsmiths, and are the only ones authorized to touch them. And whoever is going to use guns … they show us how to handle the guns and about the safety locks, and they always tell us if the gun is cold before use.

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“We are supposed to be able to fully trust the system when it comes to controlling firearms. But even with all those measures in place, I’ve always been very concerned about a strange accident happening on set. I’ve played a gun-shooting killer and I’ve been shot and killed so many times on screen, and there’s always a bit of uneasiness with those scenes, even though the guns are never pointed at you and nothing has ever happened. to me.”

Even with all the procedures in place, McNicoll admits that he is always “hyper vigilant” about security measures and “goes through them two and three times” before pulling a trick.

“I never trusted anyone from any angle, so I’m probably still walking,” he said. “It’s a matter of paying attention and talking to everyone about the stunts, especially the gun wielders. If I were ever on a set and even suspected that it was not safe, I would be out of there in an instant. “

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Montreal actress Ayisha Issa enjoys doing many of her own stunts, including those involving firearms for which she has extensive training.

“In the accessories that I have used, they could never put live ammunition in the weapons. They wouldn’t work or shoot if they did. Regardless, I would never carry any kind of weapon myself. And all guns would have to be thoroughly cleaned before they are handed over to me, ”said Issa, winner of the Prix Gémeaux for Unité 9 and one of the stars of CTV / NBC’s Transplant medical series.

“There is always a risk, but this (Rust) accident, while it sounds like a fluke, is a shocking reminder of what can go wrong,” added Issa. “Anyway, I can’t think of more safety precautions than any team I’ve been on could take to avoid this. Many measures have been taken to prevent accidents. “

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“Totally incomprehensible,” said Montreal stunt coordinator Jean Frenette. “I was surprised to learn of (Hutchins) death. I can’t believe there was such a lack of protocol. There are never supposed to be live rounds on set. It just doesn’t make any sense. “

Frenette began his on-screen career as a stunt actor in Montreal 40 years ago and later became a stunt coordinator and action director for productions in North America. He has worked with firearms in dozens of movies and television shows, always without incident.

“We’ve never had a live round on any of our sets,” said Frenette, who just completed production on the prequel to Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, as well as two broadcast series, Jack Reacher and See. “There are also different levels of blanks, where a different flame comes out but nothing else. And, of course, you never point your blank gun at anyone. I don’t understand how (Baldwin) pointed his gun at people on set. It’s the gunsmith’s job, plus the stunt coordinator and deputy director should have their eyes on this as well. “

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Frenette noted that there are now also highly efficient CGI visuals and sound effects that can easily duplicate the look and sound of a discharged firearm.

“If you don’t follow the book and if producers try to cut costs to keep costs down, that’s when accidents can happen,” Frenette said. “Maybe that’s why (Rust’s) camera crew walked away from the film before the accident. It’s very sad, but this didn’t have to happen ”.

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