Professional stuntman James "Jimmy" Davies loves living life on the edge - but don't make the mistake of calling him a "daredevil".
The Nelson Bay local puts his body on the line daily but everything he does is, he says, a "calculated risk".
Reckless, he is not. Safety is paramount in his industry and maintaining peak physical fitness essential in avoiding injury.
Davies is still on a high when he talks to Weekender about his last project. He was part of the stunt team in Furiosa, the latest instalment in the Mad Max series starring Anya Taylor Joy and Chris Hemsworth, which opened in cinemas worldwide this week.
It was a childhood dream come true for the 34-year-old.
"It's such an iconic Australian film series. If there's one movie that a stunt guy can work on in Australia, it has to be Mad Max," he says.
Davies returned home a month ago when his contract at Universal Studios Japan expired, having spent the past 12 months playing the coveted role of the Mariner in the award-winning live action WaterWorld stunt show.
When he's not in stunt mode, you might find him lending a hand on the motorbike tracks at Luke George Coaching in Tanilba Bay.
In the beginning
Davies attended Tomaree High School and started his working career as a bricklayer.
"I grew up racing motocross and I've always been into extreme sports and outdoor activities and keeping fit," he tells Weekender.
"In 2012 I went to the Australian Stunt Academy on the Gold Coast. You don't go there and become a stunt man straight away, it's like a three-week stunt camp where you are told 'this is the life of a stunt performer', that kind of thing.
"There's no paperwork, that's a whole other process. But I got the ball rolling, and from there I contacted stunt guys who work within the film and television industry in Australia and there's a whole grading process that you have to go through, so I started working towards that."
In 2013 Davies was graded and threw his hat in the ring. His first job was at Discoveryland theme park in China, working on a live action show "similar to the Police Academy show on the Gold Coast".
"I absolutely loved it. I went over there as a general stunt guy but the motorcycle guy that they hired, he didn't like the look of a jump, he didn't feel comfortable doing it, and they looked at my resume and asked me how I felt about it and I said 'Yeah, it shouldn't be an issue'," he says.
"Suddenly I was getting paid to ride motorbikes, which had always been the dream."
Davies quickly earned a reputation for his professionalism and skill in live action stunt shows.
"I worked in China for three years and I was the lead biker over there. We were doing some high risk stuff, it was pretty full-on at times," he says.
I've seen photographs and video footage of Davies in action in those days, flying through the air with or without a motorbike, running from flames, sliding across concrete, hanging out of a car window as it circles at high speed.
"But I'd always wanted to do WaterWorld - it was the most recognised live action stunt show, it won a bunch of awards, and it's top tier."
WaterWorld is based loosely on the Kevin Costner movie of the same name and is, you guessed it, set on water. The premise is that global warming has caused the seas to rise and cover the world, and survivors live on artificial floating cities.
And so Davies returned to Australia in 2016 and learned how to ride a stand-up jet ski.
"I went to some auditions and then I got a call from the stunt coordinator for Universal Studios Japan and he was putting together a seasonal show when they needed some motorbike riders," Davies says.
"He said I'd been recommended highly and he'd love me to come over and be a part of his show. I did that for six months and it was awesome. I'd always wanted to go there and do that but there had never been a role for motorbike riders before.
"Then I became really good friends with all the guys who did WaterWorld and nailed a job there riding jet skis for a few seasons."
The WaterWorld arena fits 3000 spectators. The action-packed show features explosions, gunfire, flames, jet skis powering through the water - and above it - bodies flying through the air. Davies loved it.
But, ever eager to learn more and expand his skill set, he started looking into film and television work.
Television and film
In 2015 Davies told the Port Stephens Examiner his ultimate goal was "to break into the film industry ... I wanted to get into stunt work because it was the only job that involved everything I like to do in my spare time, and I get paid for it. Getting blown up and set on fire seemed more appealing to me than laying bricks."
In recent years he has appeared in ABC TV series MaveriX, 2024 action/comedy The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, The Artful Dodger (2023) and Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky with Liam Neeson which is due for release later this year.
"I only played a really small part in The Fall Guy because I was coming back from injury at the time, but it was still awesome to be a part of. The stunts are amazing," he says.
His parents, though, were most impressed when he landed a "biker" role on longstanding Australian drama Home & Away.
"It's their favourite show, so when I was on that it was a huge thing. Working on Mad Max was a huge deal for me but for them, me doing Home & Away was super exciting," Davies says, laughing.
In 2019 he heard a follow-up film to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) was in the works. He put out some feelers, returned to Australia when his contract in Japan ended, and got back on the bike.
"They reached out to me in January 2022. I was told they were going to start shooting at Hay, and I started shooting when they were in Broken Hill," he says.
"A shoot like that takes a lot of time and a lot of planning. There was a lot of riding, timing, precision, formations, riding all different types of crazy bikes... I've never seen anything like them in my life, the bikes that they created for the film.
"There's more of a storyline with Furiosa. Fury Road was pretty hectic, like one massive race one way and back, while this one is more story based.
"I'm really proud of what I did in Furiosa. Moving forward, I want to do more."
Safety first
I ask him how the body is holding up.
"The body's great," he replies.
"It gets a little bit sore at times but you've just got to keep fit. The older you get the more important it is to get good sleep, to take care of yourself.
"I'm not super young any more but I'm definitely not old. The older you get the smarter you get, and you prioritise fitness.
"You don't stay out late the night before you have to work, you make sure you have a good meal, that you stay hydrated, get proper rest. When you're younger you can do all the wrong things and still be fine ... now I do all the right things."
His injury count is surprisingly low: a broken wrist, a few broken ribs, a torn meniscus in his knee. Not bad for a decade spent in the stunt industry.
"Stunt guys aren't like daredevils. Stunt performers are professional athletes, pretty much, they have everything super calculated and rehearsed," Davies says.
"Everyone is super fit and trains, it's not like the old cowboy and western movies.
"It's a full-time job and safety is number one. It's calculated risk. We're doing dangerous things but we're trying to do it in the safest way possible."
Having been a bricklayer, Davies says he "knows what real hard work is".
"I wouldn't say I'm the most talented person in the room. I will try to 'out work' people. I've had a real job and this is my dream job."
