Young Leaders

from Lake Norman CURRENTS magazine

by Lake Norman Currents

A Pet for You

Stunts, THOUGHTS FROM THE MAN CAVE

Ninjas, and the X-Games

Mentality

Left: Kevin Cassidy spent more than 17 years working as a stuntman in a variety of blockbuster films.

Below:Cassidy now owns Ninja Nation in Huntersville, which provides both adults and children a stateof-the-art obstacle course.

Kevin Cassidy dishes on what it’s like to live a stuntman life and why you should, too

by Mike Savicki | photography courtesy of Kevin Cassidy/Ninja Nation

When I first learned I’d be interviewing an actual Hollywood television and movie stuntman for this article, I decided I’d first make a list of every badass thing I could think of that a stuntman might actually do then compare it to the reality of the craft as we chatted. The obvious badass stunts like busting through glass windows, falling from buildings, hand-to-hand fight scenes, getting lit on fire, swinging from precarious perches, driving and crashing a car, getting crushed and smothered by bad guys, and otherwise defying gravity while flying through the air all topped my list. But when Davidson’s Kevin Cassidy and I started chatting, I learned that my list had some major omissions, and there is a spiritual, soulful side to his craft.

Let’s start with trampolines and sport stunts. Who would have thought these could lead to a career? You see, Cassidy, a two sport (football and baseball) high school athlete at Providence High School who then played college baseball at Lenoir-Rhyne and semi-pro baseball, initially found his way to Hollywood as one of 25 athletes in the once popular, full contact sport of Slamball, made famous on Spike TV in the early 2000s. He was chosen from a nationwide pool of 20,000. He gave up a job as a middle school teacher to live (and get crushed) above the rim.

When Slamball lost its bounce, Cassidy transitioned to movies. In one of his first films, he was signed as a “Special Ability Extra” in “The Longest Yard.” As the free safety on the inmates team, every hit, tackle, and full speed collision earned him fame and fortune, plus some bumps and bruises, too. He put his sports skills to good use and added vivid, bone-crushing reality to the movie. I never knew stuntmen played football.

As far as hand-to-hand fighting and weapons use, Cassidy tried to take it to Angelina Jolie. In the movie, “Salt,” he was one of the Russian guys who tried to kill her. He got his butt kicked but earned a pretty penny.

An impressive resume

Over 17 years, Cassidy appeared in more movies and television shows than he can list, including eight Marvel films such as “Avengers Infinity War,” “Endgame,” “Spider-Man Homecoming,”

“Far From Home,” “Black Panther,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Ant-Man,” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” What kept him going? The love of action, the camaraderie of the industry, and his friendships. He hustled for work and earned a reputation for always being trained, ready, at on call with whatever skills might be needed. Yes, he can also drive a car and ride a horse.

“Not getting hurt helped, too,” Cassidy tells me. “Stunt guys aren’t supposed to get hurt, it kind of goes against what you are trying to do, and if you don’t get hurt, and show up and do a good job, well, the phone keeps ringing and you keep working.”

If you are wondering, he has had some broken bones and a close call or two. Broken ribs, a broken nose, and a broken finger but “nothing major.” There was that one time he fell 12 feet down off a block while working with Shia LaBeouf. Cassidy was sure he had broken his femur but showed up for work the next day.

But behind it all, Cassidy, now the owner of Ninja Nation in Huntersville, lives and preaches what he calls the “X-Games Mentality.” It is that special energy, that zest for living, that he shares with friends in sports like motorcross, rock climbing, even wakeboarding and water sports.

“It is sports in a way that is non-traditional, no travel teams, cuts, and never not being good enough,” he says. “It is about creating opportunities for yourself and others, being supportive, teaching, and taking others along with you. It is about sports as a fun way of life, discovery and fun.”

The Three E’s

If you walk, jump, roll, or otherwise stunt your way into Ninja Nation, you’ll see Cassidy, his wife, Megan, and their team living what he calls “The Three E’s” — Energy, Engagement, and Encouragement. They are as applicable to having fun in the gym as they are to life in general.

“You can play, train, or compete and you can choose what you want to get out of it all,” he explains. “You can put yourself out there and discover new things about yourself, too.”

So, back to my list. After chatting with Cassidy, I learned that being a stuntman isn’t as much about being able to execute any one trick or another, it is about something more spiritual and soulful. While it is definitely cool to say you’ve tried to take down Angelina Jolie or flatten Adam Sandler, it is more important to live in a way where boundaries exist primarily in the mind. From Cassidy I learned that overcoming challenges gives us confidence, and confidence, perhaps above all else, can lead to an exciting, fulfilling life.