Countless people and jobs make up the production crew of a Hollywood movie. You can get an idea of this just by sitting through the end credits of a film and reviewing the impressive list of contributors. The director and star actors might get top billing, but so many more individuals play key roles in evoking our belly laughs and shrieks of horror and amazement.
It’s hard to think of any more important than the selfless stunt performers that help bring some of the most jaw-dropping cinematic moments to life. Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe, an emerging star in this field who’s the stunt double for Timothée Chalamet in the Dune franchise, may be the most interesting man in Hollywood you probably have never heard of.
Charlie’s Angels, John Wick: Chapter 4, and (Very Notably) Dune
With stunt credits going back a decade, the German-born performer has has seen his resume rack up increasingly impressive entries with each passing year. These include 2019’s Charlie’s Angels, John Wick: Chapter 4, and very notably both Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two as lead actor Chalamet’s double portraying Paul Atreides.
Hideyoshi Ruwwe is almost shockingly multi-talented, with more than a dozen acting credits and stints in the arts, editing and directing. If that isn’t enough to fill a resume, he is also a martial artist and a prolific anime/animation artist. But how does he define himself?
“I’d consider myself a filmmaker mainly,” he tells Hollywood.com. “I do a bit of everything when it comes to film work, both in front and behind the camera. All aspects of the trade fascinate me.”
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From Super VHS to Major Motion Pictures
Hideyoshi Ruwee recalls how, back in 2002, he and his brother bought a used Super VHS camcorder and a faster computer to start making small action scenes themselves, learning little by little how to put together a film. “Over the years, we got more proficient and started collaborating with other people, and doors opened to be able to eventually work on bigger productions,” he says. “I have trained in martial arts since I was nine years old, which informs a lot of my work as well. That’s why I lean towards stunt performing and action acting as long as my body will allow.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 is widely considered one of the greatest action films ever. Although part of the enormous stunt cast, he would have loved being more involved:
“I always find it amusing when people ask me about JW:4, because to be honest, I didn’t do much on that movie –- unfortunately,” he said. “Many other stunt people got to shine on it, doing some super impressive stunt work. I didn’t do a single gag because for some reason my small goon character was briefly introduced in one shot for the Paris streets scene but then never shown again to be killed by John Wick after. Maybe he got away…”
Riding the Sand Worm
Having hooked the unique role of Timothee Chalamet’s stunt double, Hideyoshi Ruwwe is far more prominent in the Dune franchise and has been of some memorable scenes (like riding sand worms through roaring storms). He describes with a laugh how he landed such a plum assignment.
“By being quite skinny. Honestly, sometimes it’s just like the saying, ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity,’ and the right people knowing you. My good friend Vi-Dan Tran started action conceptualizing early on with fight coordinator, Roger Yuan on Dune: Part One. When they needed a double, he dropped my name and the rest is history.”
Performing stunts can make for a very unusual workday. Asked about this, Hideyoshi Ruwee delves into what a typical day on set might be like for him:
“Well {it} can either be super exciting or quite boring, actually. It always depends on what scenes are being shot. Sometimes, doubles are simply used to line up shots for camera. On other days, you perform intensively for a fight scene or other stunt work and don’t get much rest … which I’m not complaining about by the way,” he says. “The ever-dreaded stand-by days can be very uneventful. You might just sit around on set all day without doing anything–I pretty much had a whole week of that on JW4, haha.”
The Coolest Folks on the Set
It looks different if you’re also working as a core stunt team member early on, when fight choreographies are being designed–as was the case for Dune: Part Two. Hideyoshi Ruwee calls these working days “very fun and wholesome.” As he explains, “A lot has to be created from scratch still, and stunt gags have to be figured out in terms of movements, execution and also camera work if previzes are in need.”
Previses, the trade shorthand for previsualizations, refers to essentially, plotting out scenes before putting them on film.
Having to do the dirty work–falling off a building or riding on the underside of a horse–can seem like it might be a thankless task. But Hideyoshi Ruwwe happily recalls one day when he was working with the worm unit in Dune: Part Two, and Chalamet came out to cheer him on while he was hanging on wires.
“Stunt people are typically revered to some degree. I have heard actors call them the ‘coolest folks’ on set.”
Room for More Recognition
Being the lead double probably helps with winning this appreciation. “Applause isn’t uncommon when you finish a fight scene master shot, especially if it is in front of a big crowd like it was the case for the finale in Dune: Part Two,” says Hideyoshi Ruwwe. “It was similar to the Jamis fight in Dune: Part One, which was also totally exhilarating. It was the first time I got to do a long fight in a{n} uninterrupted master shot in front of several A-List actors and crew.”
HIdeyoshi Ruwwe will tell you, however, that there remains room for more industrywide recognition for he and his fellow stunt performers.
“{It} is still not the norm during promotion of a movie, before and after release. It really depends a bit on the nature of the movie. If it is a pure action movie, stunt work is highlighted.” Stunt doubles in particular, he says, are still kept mostly in the shadows. It boils down to which degree actors feel willing to be transparent about it, I guess.”
To reach the top of their trade, stunt performers have to be willing to take chances, doing things that constantly push the envelope to give audiences something they haven’t seen before. It’s equal parts thrilling and dangerous.
Hideyoshi Ruwwe shares what has been the most challenging project he’s worked on to date. “Probably Dune: Part Two was most grueling for the work I did on the worm unit. That seemed never-ending, and was not just physically demanding, but also mentally because of the costume and heat.” He chuckles. “If someone were to ask me if I’d want to do that worm ride work again, I’d seriously have to consider whether I would.”
Other than that, he hasn’t yet been asked to do what he considers overly dangerous stunt work, like vehicle or fire/water stunts. “I mostly excel at screen fighting,” he says. Still, worm rides aside, Hideyoshi Ruwwe has thought about what kind of request he might turn down:
To Fall or Not to Fall (Onto Hard Surfaces)
“Its hard to say,” he muses. “Probably some heavy high falls onto hard surfaces would be the scariest ones to think of.”
Hideyoshi Ruwwe will next appear as an actor in two forthcoming action adventure projects by director Dave Ardito, The Last Peacemaker and Perception of Peace, and is also the fight coordinator on screenwriter/director Dominik Galizia’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Ringo. Following his wildly entertaining Instagram account will give you a good sense of his adventures.
Keep an eye out for him in the movie credits, as he may just be putting in hard work on some of your favorite upcoming films. But while Hideyoshi Ruwwe is deserving of the recognition, he will tell you he considers himself just one of many who contribute so much to the movies we love without having their names in the marquee lights.
Watch Hideyoshi Ruwwe as Paul Atreides ride a sand worm in Dune: Part Two:
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About the Author:
Born on the East Coast but currently residing on the West Coast, Andrew Martin has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, blogs and other mediums but most fondly remembers his Master’s thesis exploring the impact of the Boston Red Sox on social identity in New England. He enjoys writing about history, sports, culture and investing and recently published his first book–Baseball’s Greatest Players: 10 Baseball Biographies for New Readers, a children’s book about baseball history.
