Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stunt coordinator explains why he wants fair contract in strike negotiations
Freddy Bouciegues, a stunt coordinator in Hollywood, tells Fox News Digital what he wants to see come out of the strike.
As the actors strike continues, much of the AI debate in Hollywood has leaned toward the doom-and-gloom side of things, with the argument that the technology is a looming threat and could end careers by replacing performers across the entertainment industry.
But Freddy Bouciegues, a stunt performer and coordinator, doesn’t necessarily see it that way.
Bouciegues – who is vice president of Stunts Unlimited and has worked on hundreds of films as a stunt coordinator, performer and second-unit director with stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson – says he’s hoping to see a "fair contract" come out of the ongoing strike.
"I can't comment too much about it because they're obviously in negotiations," Bouciegues told Fox News Digital. "But I just want a fair contract. You know, the thing is there's a lot of fear out there for a lot of people, not just in the stunt business but in society as a whole. So, I would like to see our union address those fears."
Stunt coordinator Freddy Bouciegues has worked with names like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton from "Terminator: Dark Fate," and like many performers on strike, he told Fox News Digital that he's hoping for "a fair contract." (Getty Images | Freddy Bouciegues)
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Referring to performers being scanned and potentially having their likenesses used again and again without additional compensation or full consent, Bouciegues said, "Some of the negotiations going on through our union right now is to be super clear on what that is and what it's used for, how long it's used for. It should be specific for that project only. And that information is sometimes unclear."
"If you use our likeness, and you see our likeness, and you see that it's a performer, you want to be fairly compensated for it," he noted. "And it's not an unfair ask, I don't think."
The website for SAG-AFTRA, which also represents stunt performers, states that in a previous negotiation before the strike, the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) "failed to address many vital concerns, leaving principal performers and background actors vulnerable to having most of their work replaced by digital replicas."
SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July with negotiations at a standstill between the union the studios. (NDZ / Star Max / GC Images / File)
When it comes to background actors specifically, the site also claims that AMPTP wants "to be able to scan a background performer’s image, pay them for a half a day’s labor, and then use an individual’s likeness for any purpose forever without their consent" as well as manipulate performances and create entirely new scenes without the consent of the performer and without additional compensation.
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, the AMPTP previously said, "The claim made by SAG-AFTRA leadership that the digital replicas of background actors may be used in perpetuity with no consent or compensation is false. In fact, the current AMPTP proposal only permits a company to use the digital replica of a background actor in the motion picture for which the background actor is employed. Any other use requires the background actor’s consent and bargaining for the use, subject to a minimum payment."
Freddy Bouciegues stands with actress Linda Hamilton, with whom he worked on "Terminator: Dark Fate" alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Freddy Boucigues)
Bouciegues said he has had some performers with whom he has worked express concerns about being scanned for projects but noted that it’s been a relatively common practice for some time in the entertainment industry.
"These particular scans are by no means suspicious," Bouciegues said. "They've been around since the early 2000s. And almost every movie with heavy VFX or whatever, every performer is scanned."
WATCH: ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER’S STUNT COORDINATOR EXPLAINS WHY HE WANTS A FAIR CONTRACT IN STRIKE NEGOTIATIONS
"What I think that the fear is is that AI is going to improve on [and] going to make more efficient the pipelines that are in place already," he continued, citing the example of creating a large digital army through AI versus hiring dozens or hundreds of performers.
"Those numbers are going to dwindle eventually because it's going to become easier for AI to replicate the background, replicate people, replicate whatever," he said.
Freddy Bouciegues directs a stunt training session earlier this year. Bouciegues told Fox News Digital he understands his fellow performers' fears about the use of AI. (Freddy Bouciegues)
Despite those concerns, Bouciegues said he doesn’t see AI ever entirely replacing stunt performers.
"I am hopeful for the future," he said. "There always will be a need for the stunt industry, the stunt professionals, because they're involved in so much of the process."
Bouciegues said stunt performers do more than just take falls or hits for actors, they are "designing the action, we're working with the actors, we're training the actors, we're working with the departments, we're collaborating together with the director and the DP to create a sequence that is exciting and dynamic."
"There's a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes on with stunts and how well they're mixed into the system," he added. "I don't see that our careers are over."
Freddy Bouciegues teaches a Stunts Master Class at Tempest Academy in Chatsworth, California. Bouciegues doesn't think "our careers are over" due to AI technology. (Valerie Macon / AFP via Getty Images / File)
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Another factor is audiences still recognizing the human element in stunts, something he feels is missing when productions are over-reliant on CGI effects.
"If you see a car-defying gravity, it's cool, it's action-y, it'll satisfy that part of your brain. But in reality, you know, that's not possible," Bouciegues said. "When you see Tom Cruise dive off of a ramp and fly, [and] you see that behind the scenes that he actually did it, it's even more impressive."
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Bouciegues said he is a "big fan" of Tom Cruise for his championing of stunt performers as well as his willingness to collaborate with them and do his own stunts, though it has resulted in injury for the star in the past.
But don’t expect Cruise to become a full-time stunt performer just yet.
Tom Cruise films a scene for "Mission: Impossible 7" in Rome in 2020. (Roma / Mega / GC Images / File)
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"Every actor always says, ‘I want to do my own stunts, I want to do my own stunts.’ And a lot of times that is the case. But you still have to have a stunt double present. If that actor gets hurt, they could shut the production down. There is a lot of times where we have to sometimes even be firm and say, ‘Hey, you know, that one, you can't do,’" Bouciegues said.
Freddy Bouciegues works with another performer during stunt training. Bouciegues told Fox News Digital he's a fan of Tom Cruise and actors who want to do their own stunts but said there are still times where he and his team have to be "firm" and insist on a double performing. (Freddy Bouciegues)
In his vast career of working with names like Vin Diesel, Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Hemsworth, to name but a few, Bouciegues said everyone is on board to collaborate and make the best possible movie for audiences.
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"Everybody wants to do something cool and something amazing. And that's what we all have in common. So, when we show up, it makes me excited to work with these guys because no one wants to settle for mediocrity."
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