Featured Image Credit: Sky
Topics: Film and TV, Harry Potter, UK News, Documentaries
Gerrard Kaonga
The trailer for the Daniel Radcliffe-produced documentary looking at the stunt double that was left paralysed while filming one of the Harry Potter films has been released.
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived is set to focus on Holmes and how an accident on set during the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 resulted in him being paralysed from the waist down.
Like many popular franchises, one of the most forgotten groups of people that ensure that a film is completed are the stunt workers.
Radcliffe, who is spearheading the entire project, is ensuring one stunt double in particular isn’t forgotten for his contribution to the Harry Potter franchise.
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In the incident that left Holmes paralysed, he was performing a 'jerk back' stunt to mimic the effects of an explosion, but something went wrong and he slammed into a wall. The impact broke his neck, and left him paralysed and with severe injuries.
During the documentary trailer, Holmes, his friends and family explain his love for stunt work and the fearless way he would approach his job.
“Being a stuntman is the best job in the world,” Holmes said.
“You are constantly being tested, risking it all. I used to fly, nothing is like it man.
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“I got the best job in the world, lead stunt double for Daniel in the Potter films.”
Radcliffe also explained, while he wants to bring attention to the risks and work the stunt doubles do, he doesn’t want to speak about Holmes as if his life is a tragedy.
A full synopsis of the upcoming HBO documentary reads: "The film is a coming-of-age story of stuntman David Holmes, a prodigious teenage gymnast from Essex, England, who is selected to play Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the first Harry Potter film, when Daniel is just eleven.
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"Over the next ten years, the two form an inextricable bond, but on the penultimate film a tragic accident on set leaves David paralysed with a debilitating spinal injury, turning his world upside down.
"As Daniel and his closest stunt colleagues rally to support David and his family in their moment of need, it is David’s extraordinary spirit of resilience that becomes their greatest source of strength and inspiration."
Radcliffe has also emphasised just how important Holmes is to him and said the pair have remained close friends.
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived will be available on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW from 18 November for UK audiences.