You might not have heard of Bobby Holland Hanton, but the chances are you’ve most definitely seen him at work. He’s the man that brings the action to life in the world’s biggest blockbuster movies. Hanton does what Chris Hemsworth, Tom Cruise, and Daniel Craig can’t, putting himself in the line of fire and stunt-doubling for their craziest moves.
Hanton has featured in seemingly every major franchise this decade, starting with Bond, before tackling Captain America, The Avengers, Thor, Wonder Woman and Batman (the pre-Affleck, good Batman movies). He’s the man behind the biggest action scenes, and most likely the reason why you love these movies in the first place.
Fittingly, Hanton is in Australia between projects as an ambassador for Bandaid, a product he relies on for recovering from rooftop chases, battles against Gods, and wounds sustained from saving the world in general.
“Recovery is key to my job and staying fit enough to work,” says Hanton during our stunt training. “I need to be able to back it up, hop on a plane, and shoot the next scene without wounds slowing me down, or cuts showing up on camera.”
Bobby maintains an unbelievably high level of fitness year round, with back to back movie projects. Having just returned from a project in Vancouver with good mate Hemsworth, Hanton acknowledges the challenges of staying fit while traveling, a necessity in his job description.
“When I travel [for a movie] I make sure that there’s a gym on set and that I maintain my routine no matter where I am.”
Hanton has become Hollywood’s go-to stuntman since his debut on Bond’s Quantum of Solace outing, transitioning seamlessly from gymnastics to high octane action sequences thanks to his strength, agility and fearlessness. And it’s obviously his brazen commitment to his job that has seen his continued rise in the stunt world. In fact, he’s now a package deal with Hemsworth, with Hanton’s inclusion in roles forming an official part of his movie contracts.
“I get a break if he films a non-violent romcom,” laughs Hanton.
Although breaks in a Hemsworth schedule don’t mean rest or down time for Hanton, with back to back projects lined up in the near future, including the upcoming Bond film, commencing filming following his Bandaid duties. The 33 year-old seems to relish the role however, even when it comes to the difficult task of maintaining his strength and fitness.
“Thor is definitely the most difficult character that we have to get in shape for,” Hanton told news.com.au. “Chris is already huge, he’s much bigger than me naturally so I have to train twice a day.”
It’s been previously reported that to replicate Hemsworth’s bulk, Hanton has to eat up to 35 meals per day.
“We might train first thing in the morning and last thing at night. We try and eat every two-and-a-half hours. For breakfast we might have something like scrambled eggs with steak and spinach. No carbs in the morning. Then two hours later we might have a chicken breast and salad,” explained Hanton. “It’s pretty intense.”
Laughing off suggestions that he should be an action star in his own right, Hanton explained the process of transitioning from his gymnastic routes, to stunt performing, to landing his first role as Daniel Craig’s double.
“Quantum of Solace and Prince of Persia were my first movies when I was just 23 years old. For my first ever stunt on camera, I was running on the rooftops of Panama for a chase scene and doing balcony jumps at 2 in the morning,” he recalls.
Bobby explained to MH how typically his physique and training will change, based on the role he’s preparing for, with some form of martial arts usually playing a large factor in most of his movies.
Bobby’s latest work can be seen this month in the new Avenger’s Infinity War movie, with other upcoming projects including the latest Mission:Impossible film alongside Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill.
Bobby Holland Hanton is a BAND-AID® Advanced Healing ambassador. BAND-AID Advanced Healing helps heal faster, reduce pain & decrease chances of scarring.
