Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Bradley
Hi Amanda, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was 9 years old, my mom took me to a county fair where I saw my first demolition derby. Watching people voluntarily smashing their cars into each other had a massive influence on my dream to become a stunt driver. I had no idea that it was a career that a lucky few could call their reality.
In middle school I saw 2 Fast 2 Furious and was inspired by the character’s street racing lifestyles, I wanted it! With a little consideration, I decided I shouldn’t be running from the police and risking it all for a pink slip. My attention moved to racing, but all I knew at the time was Nascar, and turning left didn’t grab my interest like intense driving scenes and big crashes in the movies.
I decided reluctantly that I would have to become an action actress. I remember distinctly thinking, “If only I could just do the cool stuff and not have to do the dialog bits.” Once I reached high school and had access to the internet, I stumbled upon an article on how action scenes are achieved and for the first time in my life I learned that a stunt performer was a real career option. That was it. From that point on, I decided I would be a stunt driver.
I scoured the internet for any information I could find on how to become a Hollywood Stuntwoman. I was able to find a website that mentioned that one option was to do background acting work in order to get into the union.
At the age of 21, I moved across the country from a small village in upstate New York to Los Angeles to pursue my dream. I was barely able to get on my feet the first year while I did background acting. I learned a lot about set etiquette, lingo and how the industry works. I was hungry. During this time I was meeting people and networking with other people pursuing stunts. I trained as much as I could afford, and eventually got my first day working on set as a stunt performer. It was a very basic stunt in the TV show “The Middle.” All I had to do was fall off a dining room table. I continued training and networking while saving money to get started stunt driving.
My career took a turn when I met Kevin Waterman. He owns Dynamic Stunts and offers a skidpad for professional stunt performers to train stunt driving. The first thing I did was take a private stunt driving lesson from him and then bought my first stunt car. It was a Ford Crown Victoria. From there I continued to add to my fleet of training vehicles, and now I have a Nissan 350Z, a Ford Freestar minivan, and c6 Corvette, a Miata, a Ford Fiesta ST rally car, a Subaru WRX rally car, and I am currently building a few more. I practice in all these cars on a regular basis.
The stunt driving world is very small and word gets around about your reputation. I was given a huge opportunity to drive on Madam Web for Jeremy Fry, who is best known as being the stunt driver for the film Baby Driver, among many other great roles. From then on out, more and more opportunities presented themselves to work on big shows. I have been very fortunate to stay busy working and since then I have been travelled around the US, New Zealand, and Budapest.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say it has been a smooth road, but it has been an enjoyable one. It’s been 13 years since I started pursuing stunts, and I have only just recently become successful and working regularly. Money was tight for a very long time and I missed out on a lot of family gatherings and quality time with them.
It’s also very expensive to train stunt driving, with the vehicles that you have to purchase, maintain, fix, upgrade, and the tires that you go through for training. Seat time is the only way to grow your skill. There is no shortcut.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional Stunt Driver for film, TV, and commercials. I specialize in many different types of driving such as, drifting, rally racing, road racing, car crashes, and semi trucks.
Most of the work I do is doubling actresses. Some of my recent work includes doubling Cameron Diaz on the movie Back in Action, which comes out on Netflix January of 2025. I doubled Dakota Johnson in Madam Web, Michelle Monaghan in The Family Plan, Emma Stone in Kinds of Kindness, as well as Jordana Brewster in an insurance commercial. There are also several movies in the works that aren’t out yet that I’m really looking forward to sharing!
I take the most pride in how I train and my dedication to improving my craft, I believe it is what sets me apart the most. I will take advantage of any opportunity that I can get my hands on in order to become a better driver. I enjoy taking driving courses such as Team O’Neil Rally School in order to improve driving off road in a variety of vehicles with front, rear and all wheel drive configurations. I also went to truck driving school and received my class A commercial drivers license and then bought a truck of my own so I can continue my training in big rigs. I practice stunt driving on a weekly basis at our paved lot, where I always try to push the envelope of what is possible in a car. Believe it or not, go karting is a huge part of my training as well!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Be willing to listen. There are so many knowledgable people in the industry that have valuable stories to share. Learn from other people’s mistakes so that you don’t need to make them on your own. You don’t get many second chances in a competitive field like this one.
Offering to intern for somebody that is already successful is a great option, if you can find someone that is willing to help.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dynamicstunts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whats_her_nuts/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mn3d33zrQM
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6884746/
Image Credits
Maria Nezhurko
Boris Nezhurko
