THE JOURNAL
In collaboration with TAG Heuer, how one man took a bullet for James Bond – and turned it into a career .
To welcome the arrival of the new Kingsman Special Edition Connected Modular 45, we meet Hollywood stuntman Mr Bobby Holland Hanton.
Most actors toil for a lifetime to get a shot at playing James Bond. For Mr Hanton, one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stunt performers, it was his very first job. He was just 23 years old when he was asked to don the iconic tuxedo and stand in for Mr Daniel Craig in Quantum Of Solace. What’s the secret to his success?
“The first stunt performers were Hollywood hardmen, expected to jump through a plate glass window and get straight back up again,” says the 33-year-old. “As much respect as I have for their grit and their fearlessness, the modern industry is a completely different beast. We’re professional athletes.”
In that respect, Mr Hanton is more than qualified for the job. An accomplished gymnast, he competed for Great Britain until a growth spurt brought his career to an end at the age of 17, and his first job after leaving Team GB was as a high-dive specialist in the stunt show at Legoland Windsor, a theme park on the outskirts of London. Little did he know it, but he was already developing the skill set required of a professional stuntman.
The first stunt performers were Hollywood hardmen, expected to jump through a plate glass window and get straight back up again. Nowadays, we’re professional athletes
Aged 21, he decided to complete his formal accreditation. To do so, he had to meet the demands of Equity, the UK trade union for professional performers, which states that professional stunt performers must show aptitude in six disciplines from a possible 12, drawn from five categories: fighting, falling, riding and driving, agility and strength, and water.
Already adept at gymnastics, trampolining and high diving, Mr Hanton only needed three more disciplines to become fully qualified. He chose kickboxing, swimming and scuba diving, and spent the next three gruelling years honing his craft to perfection.
“A degree of versatility is expected of a professional stuntman,” he explains. “In terms of how the modern movie industry works, though, we’re also becoming increasingly specialised in one particular area.”
This, he says, is a result of the public’s demand for more and more spectacular action sequences. More spectacular equals more dangerous, which in turn puts a greater demand on a particular skill set. “My speciality is physical and acrobatic,” he says. “I’m still expected to turn my hand to whatever is asked of me, though. I do a bit of driving. Nothing serious – just near misses, stopping on a point, that sort of thing. It’s something that I’m planning to develop further, if I can find the time.”
Versatility along with a highly specialised skill set? It sounds like an impossible combination, but that’s what it takes to make it to the top of the stunt game. It’s a quality that Mr Hanton has in common with TAG Heuer’s latest smartwatch, the Connected Modular 45, which is set to make its big-screen debut in Kingsman: The Golden Circle this September. Blending timeless style with cutting-edge technology, it’s the perfect watch for a gentleman spy. Mr Hanton – a man with prior experience of walking in a secret agent’s shoes – took the new Kingsman Special Edition for a spin.