It-Tielet Vista

From freezing to fire

ARTICLE BY

Andrea Coleiro

III.

Morgan Chetcuti is the only fulltime Maltese stuntman. He joined the marine cadets at the age of 12, and the Armed Forces of Malta at the age of 18. The army taught him how to handle weapons, train people and even save lives. At the time, he was also a ship boarding team leader with the AFM responsible for illegal migration as well as drug and fuel smuggling. His job was to scout the island for any illegal migrants, and search ships suspected of contraband or anything illegal. He also got the opportunity to train with the United States Coast Guard and the Navy Seals. One day, he got a call asking him to be a stunt double and drive a boat in a film called ‘Captain Phillips’ featuring Tom Hanks. Morgan did such a good job that he was invited to work in the States. Morgan Chetcuti’s career as a stuntman had begun. Little did he know that this new career would allow him take part in blockbusters like ‘World War Z’, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and most recently, ‘6 Underground’ featuring Ryan Reynolds. Morgan reminisces when he was tasked to crash a taxi into a police car. Everyone knew what they had to do and where to go. The camera was strapped in the backseat, and he was sitting behind the wheel. “So, I’m waiting to go, and then, the back door of my car opens, and I thought maybe it’s one of the camera technicians to make some final adjustments … but from my mirror I could see it’s actually tourists thinking I’m a real taxi.” They slipped the security guard because he thought they were extras, as there were about 100 people in the street. Luckily, he realised soon enough and came running to stop them. “That would have been quite an experience for them if they had actually managed to get in the car!” Another memorable moment was on the Warner Brothers Studio set whilst filming ‘The Heart of The Sea’ with Chris Hemsworth. “It’s a night scene … we are taking the oil, spilling it on the floor, so it’s super slippery and as I’m walking, I almost slipped, and automatically, you don’t want to fall so you’re going to reach out to something. As I’m reaching out, I notice I was going to grab onto Ron Howard, the director. So, I pull my hand back just in time and manage not to fall … Imagine if I did … pulling an older guy down -that would have been the end of my career.” ‘6 Underground’ offered no less memorable experiences. “There is this scene, a super yacht that costs 200 million euros … and they didn’t let us aboard with our shoes, so we had to wear socks, and not even our radios, nothing, so that we wouldn’t scratch or damage anything”. However, the producers built another yacht in the studio for the stunts to be performed so that they could break and explode stuff. The scene involved a lot of guns and people flying from one side to the other, and Morgan was attached to a wire which would pull him very violently out of the way. He continued, “Michael Bay was over there and he told me, ‘Hey Morgan, I’m going to throw something at you.’ I wasn’t scared, but I was curious of what he wanted to throw … and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Oh, what the hell is he going to do’. Anyway, after I found out, luckily he missed, it was a breakaway jug filled with wine.”

22 It-Tielet Vista

I’m shivering before I’m set on fire... the first few seconds I don’t even know that I’m alight..

Morgan shared some insights on how certain action scenes are done. For example, when someone is on fire, the person will be wearing numerous layers of clothing covered in freezing gel and gloves all covered with a propellant to light up immediately. This is done with your eyes closed and holding your breath throughout. “I’m shivering before I’m set on fire … the first few seconds I don’t even know that I’m alight, so they tell me that I’m burning or they tap me with the torch”. On the other hand, if someone gets shot, fake blood or red dust is used, although nowadays, CGI is starting to be used more.

But like everyone else, Morgan has a personal life, and his Saturday Night is pizza night. “All week I eat healthy and train 3 hours a day. But Saturday nights are when I get to have a ‘cheat meal’ and spend time with my family at home either watching a movie or playing a board game.” He spends six days of the week training at the gym. For stunt performers like him, it is of utmost importance to strengthen the core and neck, because it protects the spine during stunts.

It is not typical to see a Maltese name featured in such big blockbusters. Morgan said that while he was in the army, the majority didn’t even know about Malta. But in film, Malta is the heart of the Mediterranean and most of the people in the industry are familiar with the islands. According to Morgan, Malta is a good location. Everyone speaks English and it is easy to travel and carry equipment. Conversely, “the limitations of Malta are the size of the local crew. I feel that more than two productions at the same time would exhaust all the local crew, even one large production. ‘Jurassic World’ is like 600 people coming from overseas.”

Flashforward to now, Morgan is busy training other individuals in stunt performance, as teacher and owner of Phantom Stunts. Morgan hopes he’ll be able to retire within the next 10 years. “I’m training my son -he’s 10 years old. I’d like to say he is the future of Phantom Stunts because I’ve already involved him in films locally.”

All that’s left until retirement is for his 10-year-old to turn 18 and continue his legacy. Morgan can hopefully leave fire, crashes and gunshots behind him to look forward to pizza and boardgames.

Convent life is far from a routine of waking, praying, eating and sleeping. This ex-nun’s unexpected leave serves to challenge these conceptions.