In the event you handed Andrew Comrie-Picard on the street in his house metropolis of Los Angeles, you’d by no means guess his odometer regularly ideas above 100 mph. “I drive actually sluggish on regular roads,” says the rally racer turned stunt driver, “and I’m all the time the individual to let another person merge in. I don’t need to drive quick as a result of I get my stimulation elsewhere.”
By elsewhere, Comrie-Picard is referring to the locations his profession as knowledgeable driver has taken him — velocity competitions, off-road driving, units for large motion movies, and even the North Pole. We chatted with Comrie-Picard to study extra about how he made a reputation for himself on the planet of stunt driving and racing.
A Day within the Driver’s Seat
A self-described cognitive load junkie, Comrie-Picard loves exhibiting as much as a job the place every single day is totally different. “I like challenges, and I really like performing within the second,” he says. “That’s precisely what I get from racing and stunts.”
When he exhibits as much as set, Comrie-Picard hardly ever is aware of what to anticipate. “My life is ruled by the decision sheet, which regularly doesn’t get circulated till the night time earlier than the shoot,” he says. “So I present up and the producers say, ‘Oh you’re enjoying cop quantity three or unhealthy man primary.’” Hours later, Comrie-Picard walks out of hair and make-up after buying and selling his beard for faux tattoos.
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Surprisingly, many stunt scenes are created equally. “A lot of the artistic course of occurs within the second with the stunt coordinator,” says Comrie-Picard. “We work out a scene with Sizzling Wheels vehicles and a few chalk on set.” A few hours and a slow-speed drive by or two later, the director calls “motion,” and Comrie-Picard hits the gasoline.
Between scenes, Comrie-Picard admits, there’s a number of ready. “It’s like hours of boredom punctuated by moments of terror,” he laughs. “I’d think about it’s what an Olympic athlete looks like earlier than the 100-meter sprint. You’re ready, generally for days, and then you definitely carry out for 15 seconds.”
However the thrill of these 15 seconds retains Comrie-Picard hooked — like when he drove on the set of Atomic Blonde. “We had a dual-control automotive, so I’m within the again seat dressed like a ninja driving the automotive whereas Charlize Theron is driving on digital camera,” he remembers. “She’s a badass and simply rolled with it, whereas I’m doing 180s and J-turns and telling her when to show the steering wheel to make it look lifelike. These are one of the best days in my workplace.”
Constructing an Epic Profession Path
So, precisely how does one develop into a backseat stunt driver for Charlize Theron? For Comrie-Picard, his skilled driving profession began with racing. “The core of my work has been in automotive racing, particularly rally and off-road,” he says.
After 20 years as knowledgeable rally racer, with some huge wins underneath his belt, Comrie-Picard landed a gig internet hosting TV exhibits about vehicles. “I may drive, and I’ve a technical automotive background, so I used to be the proper match,” he says.
As soon as he relocated to Los Angeles to immerse himself within the leisure business, Comrie-Picard started choosing up gigs as a stunt driver, and people alternatives continued to construct on one another. Comrie-Picard has labored on big-name movie franchises, together with Deadpool and Quick and Livid, in addition to American Ninja Warrior. “As a result of I adopted my passions, I’ve ended up with a portfolio of actions that I actually love,” says Comrie-Picard.
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The Subsequent Huge Stunt
Lately, Comrie-Picard has targeted much less on racing in favor of spending time on his newest pursuit — the Transglobal Automotive Expedition. “About 14 or 15 years in the past, I began considering, ‘What’s the toughest factor I may do with a car?’” says Comrie-Picard. “Now we’ve almost accomplished a multi-stage circumnavigation of the globe by automotive.”
The journey kicked off in New York in January 2024. From there, Comrie-Picard and his group pioneered a route a wheeled car had by no means pushed earlier than — heading north into Canada, throughout the Arctic Tundra, traversing the coastal shelf of North America, and driving over ocean ice to the North Pole. After navigating throughout Europe, Africa, and South America, the crew accomplished their journey, returning to New York in April.
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“What I’ve been loving about this expedition is that you will need to have broad expertise,” Comrie-Picard says. “On a giant movie set, totally different crews are accountable for each side, however on an expedition, it’s all fingers on deck, and all people does each job.”
Even amid all of the onerous work, Comrie-Picard says he nonetheless has moments of awe on the issues he and his crew have achieved.
“I’ll always remember a dialog I had once I first determined to commit myself to racing full-time,” he says. “Once I instructed my buddy, he mentioned, ‘Properly, that’s nice information,’ and I mentioned, ‘How is it nice information? There’s just one different man who makes cash doing this,’ and he replied, ‘Why wouldn’t or not it’s you?’”
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