Topics: Film and TV, Sylvester Stallone, Community, Celebrity, Money
One stuntman was offered a million dollars of Sylvester Stallone’s own money if he did a a record-breaking stunt that would become iconic.
Stunt people don’t really get the appreciation they should when you think about it.
I mean, most of the really cool scenes from your favorite blockbuster films likely have a stunt person involved because... well, those are the people on set willing to risk life and limb for that perfect shot.
So it kind of goes without saying that the job is pretty dangerous, something Sylvester Stallone knows all about.
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Not only because he has regularly done his own stunts for his movies, but also because a situation he ran into, while starring in Renny Harlin’s 1993’s film Cliffhanger.
One of the most action-packed scenes was at the start of the flick and saw a stunt that would no doubt be done solely with CGI (annoyingly) if it was made today.
But thankfully, a decision was made to do it as practically as possible and it makes for pretty entertaining viewing.
In the scene, John Lithgow’s criminal mastermind character, Eric Qualen and his team are attempting to heist $100m by stealing three suitcases jam-packed with uncirculated currency.
Where is this suitcase? On a plane, midflight. So, what better time to steal it?
The robbers and the cargo are ziplined between two moving planes, so it's safe to say the stunt practically leaves quite a lot of room for error.
But stuntman Simon Crane was willing to do it... sliding between two planes on a cable at 15,000 feet for what would become the most expensive aerial stunt ever. It even has a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
It was so wild that the filmmakers weren’t actually allowed to film it in Europe and were told it was against the law in the continent.
Because the stunt was so dangerous, the studio company covering the film refused to sanction it, so Crane couldn’t even be covered for putting his life on the line.
That is when Stallone stepped in.
The star reportedly reduced his own salary by 1 million dollars and put it right in Crane’s pocket as a thank you for his efforts.
And I think it is safe to say he earned every penny.
I know damn well I wouldn’t be doing such a stunt, even if I was a stuntman, but I guess they are just built different.
