Page 41 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 105

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #105 October 2021 41

Continued from page 40 coordinator, “I don’t want Felix to do
any more water work, because I need
for a little kid – the one who got pulled him to finish the film”. What we were
out of the window in the tree, and I did doing, we were doing the second unit.
E.T. I doubled for Drew Barrymore, What happened in London, Harrison
when she was six or seven years old. Ford hurt himself, so they sent him
We were going up and down the street, home to California to recuperate and
trick or treating for Halloween, and I go to the hospital (because he hurt his
had this pillow case over my face with back). So we were doing the second
little holes for the eyes. . . I was Casper unit work without him, because we
the Friendly Ghost! That was supposed had all of the stunt people. That’s when
to be her. You know, it was late at Steven said that. . . and we flew back
night, and they’re not allowed to have to London to do more work. It was a
kids work after so many hours, so she little story, a scary story, that, for about
had to go home. So they call me up and six months after that, every night, I got
say, “hey, how would you like to come this kind of nightmare – I felt like I
up on location and work for us?”. . . was dying. It felt kind of funny.
because I known Steven Spielberg (a
nice guy), so I got to double for her. NA: And that was from the stress of
dealing with the raft incident?
NA: Now, one of the stories I heard
that sounded very nerve-racking was FS: Yeah, and it went on. . . it finally
went off after awhile, but every night I
when you were working as a stunt
double on Indiana Jones and the got this remembrance where I got stuck
under there – not being a swimmer,
Temple of Doom. Tell us about that.
whatever, thank God I’m here.
FS: Oh yeah, the raft. We had a lot of
fun in that one. I am not a swimmer. I NA: Now let’s talk about Steven
Spielberg. What type of director is he?
can’t swim from here to there. So they
got me in this raft. I told the stuntman FS: Oh my God! Steven Spielberg is
I don’t swim. . . I don’t even swim a one of the best. I mean, the reason he
stroke. He said, “don’t worry about is one of the best is because he does his
it, we’ll put the life jacket – the Mae own work at the office the night before
West, on you. Don’t panic, if anything he comes on the set. He looks at the
happens just pull on the string.”. I script, he knows exactly what he wants
said okay. So we got in the raft, and for the next day, and it gets done. One Photo Submitted
we’re going down the river – it was day we were on set earlier, before the
doing it. It was very close go?”. . . but when nature calls, you’ve
me, the stuntman for Harrison Ford, filming, and we would talk. . . he’d
got to go, there’s nothing you can do
and the stunt lady for Kate Capshaw. look at me and say, “hey, Felix, you to my house. I had to be there all the
. . so we’re going down the river, and know what, if you were a few inches time, from early in the morning til late about it. I’m not going to pee in my
pants while I’m filming.
we are on the one side of the river and shorter, I could use you in my second at night because they had to protect
the camera is on the other one, we are E.T.” – which never came, and never themselves in case something goes NA: You had a small, very interesting
supposed to go down and then up, and will. It was fun. I really enjoy Steven, wrong, and then they come to you and part in 1968’s Planet of the Apes.
there we are. So, what happened, it he’s a great guy. Nice, friendly, and say – “look, we need the scene now –
FS: Yes, with Charlton Heston when
went down and it came up, kept going very smart. NA: Now let’s go to Buck get ready”. One time, I was ready to go
he runs across the museum. I said, “Hey,
and flipped completely upside down Rogers. Another famous role. What on and I’m sitting there (if I took the
it’s a man!”, there was some other guy
– and I’m stuck underneath. I was the are your memories of doing that? FS: skirt off and the mask, I could sit, smoke
who said that was me, I was ten years
only one there – the other two jumped Oh yes. The memory was I had to and have a cup of coffee, or whatever),
old – there was nobody who was ten
off. So anyway, the guy had said, don’t compete in the interview. I wasn’t the one day I’m fully dressed and I ask the
years old while we were filming, I was
panic, if anything happens pull on the only one. . . there were several other assistant director Bob, I said, ‘Bob, I
the guy. Charlton Heston was a very
string. . . so I’m pulling and pulling, people. They were going to, they had need to go to the bathroom’. We were
nice guy. Those days, when we were
and nothing is happening. And all of in mind they were going to put in the just doing a rehearsal, I wasn’t even
a sudden, I didn’t panic, and really, involved. And he said, “can you wait filming the first Planet of the Apes, he
suit a chimpanzee, or monkey. How was the President of the Screen Actors
really hard I yanked and whoosh, it can you make an animal put on a suit, five minutes?”. Okay, I’ll wait five
filled up and I’m still underneath with minutes. Five minutes came by – ‘hey Guild, and every morning they would
and have him act and walk – that’s bring him in by helicopter on location
a pocket of air. I could clearly see in the impossible. The funniest memory was Bob, I need to go to at Fox ranch. They’d pick him up at
water and the yellow overhead of the Gil Gerard, who was Buck Rogers,
raft. . . and I’m thinking, ‘what should the bathroom!’. Finally, I called the the office or at home, he’d fly into set,
when I had to go inside the ship, I wardrobe guy, Paul, I said, ‘Paul, take they’d drop him off, at night,
I do – let loose or hang on?’. So I hang
on to the string of the boat, and finally could not walk on stairs, because the off this shit, I’ve got they’d pick him up and he’d go
suit was not flexible. He had to pick
the guy came and got me out and said, me up, and every time he did, he’d say, to go’. So I came back half an home. At lunch time he used to run to
“I was pulling on your leg and you “Jeez Felix, you’re getting fat”, and I hour later, and they were still playing exercise – and he was so skinny. He
didn’t want to let go”. Come on – you around – doing whatever the hell they used to run all over the set just to keep
said – I don’t know if I can say this
weren’t pulling any leg. . . why did you or not, but I said, “F-off – shut up”. . . were doing. See, what these guys try in shape. It was really fun working on
take so long? So anyway, he got me to do – they try to protect their job. I Planet of the Apes with those people.
every time he did it, that’s what I
out, and then Steven Spielberg finally mean, if he said go to the bathroom, NA: Now Star Wars. That’s a big one.
found out about the accident – what told him. We had a lot of fun on and then all of a sudden the director
had happened, and he said to the stunt Buck Rogers and we had a lot of fun says, “we need him, why’d you let him Continued on page 42