Junior's Cave is pleased to present the life of an amazing and talented stunt coordinator. Vladimir Tevlovski has paid his dues to get to where he is at now in his career through dedication, discipline, hard work, tenacity, pride, and a deep love for the business. We spoke to Vladimir Tevlovski who enlightened us on what does it take to become a stunt coordinator and his personal journey that has led him from Russia to the United States working in the entertainment industry. This is his story.
Isaac: Vladimir, I know you are super busy so I appreciate that you are willing to speak with our publication. You were born in Russia and trained gymnastics and acrobatics at the age of five. You also were a member of Olympic Team “DINAMO”. How did your training in both gymnastics and acrobatics help you with your current career path as a stunt coordinator?
Vladimir: I like staying busy. It makes me feel like I’m moving forward in life, but it’s my pleasure to share bits and pieces of my life with you guys.
I’m very lucky to be born in Russia at the beginning of 70s. It was very organized and disciplined country, and I believe in order to achieve above average results in anything; you need these two elements and of course a little luck.
If we fast forward to now, and look back at that time of my life, I got the best training facilities and best coaches Russia had to offer at that time to help me develop skills and explore limits of my abilities with no destructions of outside life. That puts me in luck of playing with my friends outside sport and school, but I eventually managed to balance it all.
In many ways, my training for stunt career started back then, and with all honesty that was the best foundation laid for my life.
I learned how to learn, I learned how to do one thing, build on it the other thing, and so on to no limit. After gymnastics, it was easy, the same formula worked for everything else. I started sports acrobatics, and all I needed to know was my final destination, and I knew how to get there. The same was at school and university, I knew what it took and how to get it, and I was unstoppable. With tons of energy and knowing exactly where to put it, I felt like anything could be done if I really wanted it to.
Now, do I think gymnastics helped me in my stunt coordinator career?, it did more than that, it helped me in my life.
Isaac: Around the age of fourteen, you joined “Moscow Circus on Ice” traveling all over Russia, Europe, and The Middle East. Describe the experience of traveling and performing for "Moscow Circus on Ice" What was one of your fondest memories that you can recall about this experience?
Vladimir: As a kid, I was too busy to just let loose and have fun, but as I was saying eventually I cut up. Well, my life in circus was a pair of leather pants away from a rock star! I was learning new stuff every day, but it was so easy, just combine two or three things I already knew together and Walla!-- all done and everyone loves it. I quickly became a solo artist and participated in group routines. We traveled with a very nice pace, every 2-3 month new city, state country. And everywhere we went we became mini celebrity with VIP pass everywhere, do I need to say more?! Life in circus was all about having fun, and knowing me, with the same intensity as my training, to far limits and hoping for not too much trouble.
Every moment was the best, even in my darkest days of those times; always something good came out of it.
Isaac: You also received your degree in 1993 graduating from a university with a degree in Kinesiology. How has your degree helped you with your current work as stunt coordinator? Did you ever wanted to pursue something more with that degree when you were younger?
Vladimir: Going back to my education, University was not the easiest or pleasant times of my life, but it did taught me many things, especially in business, how to properly approach anything you about to do in real life business.
Many more things I got out of my degree in Kinesiology, I use in my everyday life, and of course Kinesiology is all about buddy in motion, stuntman job is buddy in motion. I would never be able to figure out this complicated ideas directors throw at me every day I work, how to make it work safely and spectacular, yet humanly possible.
Funny think is when I finished with my rock star life -- style as a performer, I always knew, I have my degree in my pocket. I can always get back to it. And this was the times of exploring full possibilities in the real world of business. I got a job working for a physical therapist with a purpose to become one, got my massage license, build excellent business, and making very good money. But! I realized after giving it a real try for two years, this is not for me. Money does not make me happy, I liked it, but it is not worth my happiness.
I decided to go back to my principals; to build one thing on top of another that works. I knew how much I enjoyed performing, and contracts were coming, but I knew if I don’t get out now I will regret it for not living this soon to be too old for career and start new chapter of my life.
And my answer was stunt business.
Vladimir Tevlovski
Photo by Mars Safargaleve
Isaac: When you came to the states, you continue to work on various on Ice Shows including “Disney On Ice Aladdin Show”. At this point in your life, did you think you would end up where you are now?
Vladimir: Disney on Ice was the lowest point of my circus performer career, I have nothing good to say about it except for one the most important things of my life; it brought me into this country! After Moscow “Circus On Ice #1”, everything else was a big step down. All I was thinking how to get a green card to untie myself from Disney so I can get a better job with professionals who love doing their job and not the money managing you.
Isaac: You also worked as an Acrobatic Coordinator and performer with Charles M. Shultz’s Ice Show. This period was very important because you also started working in feature films as a stuntman. What was the initial attraction to the path of being a stuntman?
Vladimir: And Boy did I get lucky!, I always say, better be lucky than good. I met Charles M. Shultz having breakfast at the ice arena café in Santa Rosa CA. He came up to me and said, “Do you mind if I seat with you at my table?”. And this was beginning of amazing relationship with the entire Shultz family. Christmas and Thanksgiving at Sparky’s House, met Jill Shultz, his daughter. Jill gave me a real chance to open up as a creative mined person to help her choreograph Extreme Sports athletes in live show events with lights and music. This was Jill’s business, and she ran a company called All Wheels Extreme.
Jill was married and about to have her first baby, but business was doing very well so I continued working there. During that time, I got to create and was able to bring my ideas into the live show events, thanks to Jill.
I met my first agent at that time, start going on auditions for commercials, got a few jobs, and fell in LOVE working with production!
And this was that time when I decided to start focusing my energy on Stunt work.
Isaac: Do you think becoming a stuntman/woman is hard?
Do you think this is a tough business to get into?
Vladimir: I got lucky once again and some of the commercials I worked on got me in to SAG Union. This was the big door opener. But it’s like that blue pill in Matrix, YOU have to walk through that door and the pill will show you how deep this rabbit hole is.
I realized this is by far the hardest business I ever entered, entire structure is on relationships, you have to build your reputation from scratch, need to show everybody what you can do, how you can perform stunts in the oddest place, and out of the most uncomfortable positions. I realized, this will take years and I’m all about honing in on my craft.
But, I knew I will not be able to afford this career if I don’t get some kind of income, so I started a vending business selling toys, stickers and gumballs. This business was making my enough to pay all my bills and I only had to refill it once a month.
Rest of the time; I was out there knocking on every door, figuratively speaking, and meeting as many people as I can in this business, and about 3 years later I started to get jobs! That was amazing feeling, it was like graduating, loosing virginity, and getting your first car feeling in one.
Isaac: WOW!
Isaac: What do you see are the necessary skills one must possess to be successful in this business?
Vladimir: As I go, I realized everyone who made it in this business, got story similar to my. It takes combination of skills besides being amazing at what you do, you must have excellent social skills, have to be very sharp businessman, and of course very lucky.
Isaac: What has been one of the scariest or dangerous stunts you have done and why?
Vladimir: Always the easiest stunt is the scariest; cause no one pays attention.
Isaac: Have you ever turned down or refused to do a stunt you thought was impossible to pull off? How do you handle when you feel the director is asking for too much?
Vladimir: I haven’t turned a job down yet, but I do see it happening.
A scene from Transformers 2 in which Vladimir Tevlovski coordinated the stunt.
Isaac: Why do you enjoy what you do? What makes what you do fulfilling?
Vladimir: It’s very complicated and confusing to explain; it’s like painting, some people like it, some don’t.
This business does it for me, even knowing how many things people don’t like about the business, like you don’t know when your next paycheck is coming, or you don’t know when or what your next work/job will be. And it does have big pluses like when you work with a group of friends you haven’t seen in some time and it is a very pleasant reunion. Also, when you finally receive your check and it has more digits in it then most of my jobs; that is good.
But the most important thing is emotional satisfaction from every day I work.
Isaac: How did you move from stuntman to stunt coordinator?
Vladimir: It’s like I did with the live show business, stuntman career has a expiration day, so before I get there I realized I love this business enough to stay for the second round, and stunt coordinator is very different than stuntman, tons more preparation work, paper work, phone call, and emails. However, there is nothing like getting a job, and calling all your buddies and hiring them to work with you on a project; where everyone feels the same way about this work we are doing.
Isaac: What is the toughest part about your job as a stunt coordinator?
Vladimir: To get the next job.
Isaac: Do you feel people in your field are properly recognized in the media and industry?
Vladimir: I think this is one of the most under recognized positions of the entertainment business, Talent, Human beings; real life heroes work in stunt business. The problem is that no one is recognized worldwide like the movie stars are. Yet, we got use to it, cause we are all doing it for a different reason.
Isaac: Where can fans learn more about you online?
Vladimir: Life is passing by way too fast, and if you don’t do as much as you can in every day of your life you will never achieve extraordinary things in life. But what do I know, everything in live measured by average this average that, maybe being average is a good think too, I just know for sure it’s not for me!
