Cruise stuntman ‘chose to be hit’

By Margaret Scheikowski

October 04, 2007 02:48pm
Article from: AAP

A STUNTMAN “elected” not to jump out of the way of an airborne motorcycle which hit him during the Sydney filming of Hollywood blockbuster Mission Impossible: II, a judge has been told.

Giving evidence via a satellite videolink from Burbank, California, Billy Burton – the film’s second unit director – said he recalled the stuntman looking at the motorcycle.

“He elected to stand there and not jump out of the way,” he told the NSW Supreme Court today.

Mr Burton said that while he did not intend to be “mean”, stuntmen had to take some responsibility for their actions.

The stunt extra, Mark Joseph Connolly, is suing the Paramount Pictures director for $2 million over the June 1999 incident on the movie, which starred Tom Cruise.

The scene was to involve a motorcycle jump over the gates at the end of a bridge, which Mr Connolly and another extra were “guarding”.

The bike was supposed to clear the guards, who were standing with their guns drawn.

But it hit Mr Connolly, knocking him over, and caused various injuries including a broken collarbone and arm damage.

His barrister, Phillip Greenwood SC, said Mr Burton’s negligence led to the accident.

The director, who has been in the film industry since 1965, said that before the accident he had repositioned the two stunt guards, moving them back closer to the gate.

“We gave them positions that would be best for the camera and, I might add, for safety,” Mr Burton said.

He denied Mr Greenwood’s suggestion that an earlier incident had put him in an angry mood, saying it had left him “disappointed and frustrated” but not angry.

He denied telling the guard extras: “Don’t turn around, because you don’t know the motorcycle is there”.

Mr Connolly had the ability to see the bike out of the periphery of his eye, or “I would not have done the shot”, Mr Burton said.

“I remember telling the lads to keep the bike in your periphery,” he said.

He had no recollection of Mr Connolly saying he was concerned about the change in position and the effect on timing.

Mr Greenwood suggested the director said at the time: “Just f***ing work it out”.

Mr Burton told the court: “I don’t recall saying that.”

Mr Burton said Mr Connolly was “very, very inexperienced”.

When the scene was filmed again the next day, the replacement guard was not in the path of the motorcycle.

Mr Greenwood suggested this could have been done on the day of the accident in the interests of safety.

“No, I had no idea the man was going to stand there and not move out of the way,” the director replied.

The hearing continues. (Source: News Limited)