Tulsa King Stunt Coordinator Freddie Poole on Doubling for Sylvester Stallone

Frankie also recently served as the stunt coordinator of 20th Century's upcoming period drama The Bikeriders, which stars Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Michael Shannon. 

 

 

Freddie Poole: I started my career on Walker, Texas Ranger with the Norris family, working on the show for several years, along with any other projects Chuck Norris did. During my time on the show, I met and also worked with veteran stuntmen and stunt coordinators that I learned from. That laid the foundation for my career, so I owe those guys quite a bit. 

 

Most stunt coordinators start their careers as stuntmen, which is how I started my career. As their careers progress, they can eventually move into fight coordinator or assistant coordinator positions where they gain more experience from being part of the action/production process - ie: previz, meetings, tech scouts, hiring process, etc. Experience, communication, and problem solving/coming up with solutions are major factors that producers look for when hiring stunt coordinators.

 

 

Freddie Poole: Coming up as a stuntman and realizing the coercion that is necessary between departments has been key to the professional I am today. Communication between different departments is crucial to the overall success of the project.

 

Throughout my career, I’ve been able to work for some of the most successful stunt coordinators and second unit directors who have directly influenced my career. Eric Norris, JJ Perry, Clayton Barber, Russell Towery, Tim Trella, and many others have impacted my career probably more than they even know

 

 

Freddie Poole: I was first contacted about the show from one of the Executive Producers and President of Balboa Productions (Sylvester Stallone’s production company). I’ve had a working relationship with Stallone for over a decade as a stunt double for him on various projects. 

 

PH: What goes through your mind when you find out you're collaborating with Sylvester Stallone to choreograph action scenes? What was that collaboration process like?

 

Freddie Poole: As previously mentioned, I’ve had a professional working relationship with Stallone for over a decade now so fortunately the rapport has been established for quite some time. Because of that, it certainly streamlines the process since I am very aware of Stallone’s preferred style of action. If we go back to the very first time I had the opportunity to work with Sly, there was a surreal moment where I couldn’t believe I was getting the opportunity to work not only with an icon but one of my childhood idols. 

 

PH: Naturally, stunt coordination involves lots of action. How do you bring adrenaline into storytelling through stunt choreography? Can you give us a bit of insight into your creative approach?

 

Freddie Poole: The first step in my process is to figure out how to bring the words on the page to life. Choreography is actually the easy part - it’s the storytelling involved within the choreography that's most important. We don’t want to leave out or miss key story points in the action. We have an initial stunt meeting with the director and showrunner, where we all share ideas. Ultimately, it’s the director’s vision we’re bringing to life and we want to ensure the choreography and style fits. I take those notes and apply them accordingly. If it’s a fight scene, I typically shoot a previz with my action team to show the director and showrunner. For Tulsa King, I also meet with Stallone to go over ideas. 

 

PH: You also spent two and a half hours in the hair and makeup chair every time you doubled Stallone to have a full face prosthetic applied, while still overseeing all the action on set. Wow! What are some of the challenges associated with that?

 

Freddie Poole: Time is the obvious one, lol. We had many early morning pre-calls to get the process going so I could be ready at the crew call. There were a few times I was pulled from the chair mid-process to go to set and discuss the action, which I’m sure caught a few people off guard with an unfinished prosthetic face. Although I had freedom of facial movement, eating or in other words chewing was a challenge. I relied heavily on protein shakes through a straw!

 

PH: Can you share your process directing and coordinating the car chase scene in Episode 3, which included SFX, gun fire, and a big t-bone car crash? 

 

Freddie Poole: This was one of my favorite action sequences we shot on Tulsa King which took quite a bit of prep and planning. After meeting with our director, Ben Richardson, there were extensive meetings with locations, SPFX and picture cars to dial in exactly what we needed in order to accomplish the action sequence. Since this was such a big scene, I felt it was best for me and the scene to stay focused on directing and coordinating and to bring in another professional to double Stallone. I reached out to Corey Eubanks, who is one of the best stunt drivers in the business to double Stallone for this scene. Eubanks was Stallone’s driving stunt double in Cobra and Get Carter so that was an added bonus.

 

Once I was able to lay eyes on the geography and driving routes the vehicles would take (spanning several city blocks), I was able to plan my shot list for the day. An important aspect was to match what was shot on the main unit (actor close ups, etc on location and on stage) with the action we shoot on the second unit. I brought in an amazing team of stunt drivers to work with the pursuit arm for the second unit work. Production was able to secure a large parking lot so I brought the action team in early to previz some of our car and camera maneuvers.

 

Having prepped for this proved to be beneficial since we lost 3 hours of shooting time due to lightning delays. The gun fire was all done in post as we did not shoot any blanks on the show. We needed to prep both the Navigator Dwight was driving and Armand’s Caprice to ensure maximum safety so there were extensive meetings with SPFX and picture cars. We reinforced the front end of the Navigator as well as outfitted both vehicles with roll cages, racing seats, 5-point harnesses, and e-brakes. Our stunt drivers could then easily manage and slide through any corners/intersections. For the big t-bone, timing was crucial! I gave our drivers as much time as they needed to practice and rehearse their lead ups prior to shooting the car hit. With this type of action, we had one shot to get it and given our team are old pros at it, they absolutely nailed it (no pun intended)!

 

PH: How do you manage serving triple duty as the 2nd unit director, stunt coordinator and Dwight (Stallone) stunt double, in addition to writing some of the action, for the finale's climactic action sequence? 

 

Freddie Poole: It’s definitely a challenge due to the time it takes to apply the prosthetic, as previously discussed. Once we’re passed that point, I’m comfortable with all three phases. When we shot the finale sequence, I started my day in the chair, left mid-process to meet with our DP, AD, and stunt team to discuss our shots, make a few adjustments and go through a walking rehearsal. We were definitely dialed in as we had three separate rehearsals prior to shooting either main or second unit. Anytime I direct the second unit, I designate one of the more experienced guys from my stunt team as an assistant coordinator (or stunt coordinator if I only direct). Typically this person has already been a stunt coordinator so this ensures an additional set of experienced eyes on set to help navigate the process and keep additional tabs on safety. 

 

The finale sequence went through a couple of rewrites to fit the time frame we were allotted and after a few discussions, I was asked to help the process along so I gave some thoughts on the action. I didn’t think much of it until I read the final draft, where the action beats I laid out were in fact incorporated. I have to give credit to Terence Winter, our EP and showrunner, as well as EP Braden Aftergood, for trusting me with that. 

 

 

Freddie Poole: The Bikeriders was a great experience for me. We shot the entire period film in and around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and I enjoyed working with a brilliant cast (Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, Jodi Comer to name a few). It was a pleasure to work alongside our talented director, Jeff Nichols and watch his process as this is something I try to do anytime I’m on set with directors. Each director has their unique vision and process so I felt fortunate to watch Nichols do his thing. I look forward to seeing how all the fights turn out in the film, as the action team I brought in worked extremely hard to bring it all to life. We shot some amazing motorcycle sequences with upwards of 40 vintage bikes on set at once which was quite a feat. We definitely had our challenges keeping those bikes running at times, as with anything vintage, issues would come up (leaks,  broken parts, weather…it was really cold at times!).

 

PH: When selecting what projects you say yes to, what do you look for? Is there a criteria you follow? 

 

Freddie Poole: At this point in my career, I look at who is producing and directing. How much action is involved and does the project require a second unit director? This is all very important to me as I look to advance my career. 

 

PH: Are there any other upcoming projects you want to share? 

 

Freddie Poole: Tulsa King season 2 is green lit and we should start things up very soon. I’ve purposely turned down the last couple of offers to keep myself available for season 2, as well as spend some quality time with my family.