05
ALEKS PAUNOVIC Imgaes by Aaron RT Smedley
Aleks Paunovic has been in shows like Snowpiercer, Van Helsing
travel to Pamplona, Spain to run with the bulls. I went with two of
and can be seen in his new thriller Freaks. His career started when
my friends, and it was one of the most exhilarating things I have
he transitioned from stunt acting into acting when he was asked
ever done…, and I lived.
to audition for a role. When he was younger he was an athlete and even won a championship amateur boxing title. He continues
3. Are there any kinds of roles that you haven’t played before that
to have a love for boxing which is the reason he became a stunt
you want to play?
actor. His stunt work eventually turned into acting when he was asked to audition for the HBO movie Heads, and was cast in his
That’s an interesting question because every role that I’ve wanted
first role as Roderick.
to play has come to fruition by me taking action. I would create short films around specific roles I would want to play and some-
In his free time, he is passionate about advocating against bul-
times I would get cast for a project from someone sees those
lying. He believes that both sides of the issue need looking at
short films. If I had to pick a role though I’d pick something like
meaning that both the bully and the one who has been bullied
Rocky. I’m intrigued by the idea of telling a full boxing story as
should be helped. He has experienced both sides of the spec-
opposed to other films where boxing is only incorporated.
trum himself and wants to fix the issue on all sides. 4. What can you tell us about your new film, Freaks? He talks about advocating against bullying, Van Helsing, Freaks and more below:
Freaks was such a blast to be a part of. I had worked with the director before and was excited to be cast to work with him again.
1. What made you realize you wanted to accept the offer to tran-
Freaks is great because it mixes all the genres; you go from dra-
sition from stunt acting to face acting (with Heads)?
ma, to thriller, to sci-fi all mixed with beautiful storytelling- Then you add Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern, and you can’t go wrong. It
I think the transition from stunts to acting wasn’t so much of me
was such a blast!
accepting the offer, but more of me diving into storytelling. The idea of telling stories as an actor became far more attractive to
5. What can we look forward to and what are you most excited for
me than the stunt aspect. I think stunts is one of the hardest and
fans to see this next season of Van Helsing?
least credited jobs in the industry. I have nothing but respect for those who do stunts, but I became more interested in the ability
I can’t wait for the fans to see this next season. Julius’ journey
to tell stories in front of the camera.
is quite interesting, and he has some relationships with certain characters coming up that will surprise the fans.
2. In what ways do you still try to live on the edge?
To have Kelly and Missy as our superheroes have been such a joy to see, and to watch strong women in roles like this is incredible.
One of the things I checked off my bucket list this summer was
I can’t wait for fans to see it! Trend Privé Magazine
