LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) – The life and work of stuntman David Holmes, who was paralyzed after an accident on the set of Harry Potter in 2009, has been turned into a documentary, which he described as „cathartic”. to see „David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived,” which premiered in London on Thursday, features documentary footage of Holmes working as actor Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double and footage of his life today, as well as interviews with his former colleagues and friends, including Radcliffe. „It’s great that my boys can get together and talk about it. We live in a society where men don’t really talk about it. So I get really choked up,” Holmes said. An accomplished gymnast, Holmes was a teenager when he was chosen to work on the Potter franchise. But during a fight scene in „Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One,” Holmes broke his neck when a rehearsal for a stunt went wrong.
Fellow stuntman Mark Meilli, who was there at the time, said, „It happened so fast. It was unbelievable. We thought it was never going to happen. „You can either be a victim or a survivor. „I choose to be a survivor,” said Holmes, whose challenging medical journey is reflected in the new film. Directed by former Harry Potter cast member Dan Hartley, the film is executive produced by Daniel Radcliffe. „He’s one of my best friends,” Holmes said, explaining.
Holmes hopes his Raw documentary will start conversations about the work of stunt performers and being disabled.
„I was fortunate and lucky to survive the broken neck and survive the injury. A million people feel lost and forgotten in society,” he said.
Report by Sarah Mills; Editing by Richard Chang
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