CLEARWATER, Fla. — Crashing through windows, jumping out of buildings and falling down stairs—these are some of the stunts we see on TV and in the movies every day.
Now, there's an academy in Clearwater that teaches students how to do the same crazy feats: the K75 Stunt Academy.
In every class, students learn how to punch, dive, crash and fall, just like you see in the movies.
Kevin Rego has performed stunts professionally in more than 50 countries dating back to 1998. He said it’s like never having to grow up.
“You get paid to blow stuff up, you get paid to get hit by a car, you get paid to jump off a horse, you get paid to go through a wall, you get paid to fall down the stairs. Stuff you get to do when you were a kid,” said Rego.
But it wasn’t until earlier this year that Rego attempted possibly the most challenging stunt of all: opening up his own school.
“I always wanted to open up my own place where somebody wouldn’t have to go through all the hoops I did, which is cool. It's a great adventure, but now it's centralized. They can just come here and pretty much learn everything that I learned, everything I picked up from my mentors, and do it all here in Clearwater,” said Rego.
His students consist of everyone from actors looking to add another skill to their resume to beginners just seeking a new adventurous hobby.
“In the independent world, I feel like it is very valuable because there just isn’t a lot of money in the budget to hire external stunt work," said actor Pang Thao. "So if you, as an actress, know how to do the punches and the kicks, you have a much better chance at getting cast."
Then there is actor Brian Jalbert, who has his own dreams of being on movie posters around the world.
“I’m like Ryan Gosling’s goofy brother, Johnny Gosling. That’s what I’m going for,” said Jalbert.
Rego said no matter what level the student, the S in stunt always stands for safety. He's constantly instilling that in his own kids.
“My little girl is a daredevil, and she does things. She is probably way more fearless than I was at that age,” said Rego.
Rego said stunt people will always be the unsung heroes of action movies and TV shows. At his academy, he's developing those heroes, getting them ready to literally run through walls.
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