Unless they’re Jackie Chan or Tom Cruise, most action stars need to have stunt doubles to avoid slowing the film process. In the film world, time is money, which is why some producers and actors prefer to have someone that does the physically risky scenes.
It’s no surprise that Dwayne Johnson, as an actor, typically picks movies with a lot of action sequences. This translates into more work for his stunt double, Tanoai Reed, who always has his back. In this article, we’ll tell you all about their time working together and the sweet gift of appreciation that The Rock gave Reed.
They have been working together since the beginning.
The very first movie this duo worked on was The Scorpion King. Reed had just returned to L.A., and his dad had offered him a job on a construction team for movies and TV sets. He had previously tried some stunt work and loved it, but it wasn’t until Johnson’s career took off that his did too.
One day, while Reed was working, someone he knew from his previous stunt gigs recognized him and took him onto the set of The Scorpion King. Once there, he tried on the costume, and it fit like a glove, so he was hired. Johnson recalls, “It was as if I was meeting my long-lost brother who could, at times, double as my twin.”
It turns out that their similarities are no coincidence, as they’re related.
According to Reed, he knew that he and the Hollywood star were related. Some of his uncles shared the same last name, and Johnson’s mom knew Reed’s dad. “That generation knew each other, but we never met until the set of The Scorpion King.”
In an interview, Reed shared, “People assume that he was like, ’Oh, I have a cousin that looks like me, bring him on.’” But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
However not everything is about DNA, and Reed had to train very hard to look just like Johnson.
Johnson has an incredible physique, he’s always in shape and is a very tall guy. Naturally, Reed has to train and eat just like the Fast & Furious star to mimic his huge muscles. “He’ll call me up and let me know how many carbs he’s eating, what the protein ratio is, and I try to stay on it,” said Reed.
Every time Johnson needs a stuntman, he’s there for him.
Johnson and Reed have been working together since 2001, when the production of The Scorpion King started. Since then, they have worked together in movies like Faster, Tooth Fairy, Fast & Furious, Baywatch, etc. Over all these years, Reed has suffered many injuries, including career-ending ones, but at the end of the day, he has been able to return stronger than ever.
Most recently, they worked on a superhero movie called Black Adam, where they played an antihero who was very, very strong. Reed had to train hard, like Johnson, to look just like him. “Getting ready for Black Adam got me in some of the best shape of my life,” gushed the stunt double.
According to Johnson, “We’ve got to get in the best shape of our lives because I don’t want to be these other actors who put these fake, padded muscles in.” And without a doubt, these 2 delivered.
After all these years, Johnson wanted to show his appreciation with a huge gift.
Reed has been part of Johnson’s life for 22 years, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the actor. In 2018, as a sweet surprise, Johnson organized a fake interview with Reed. The stunt double really thought he was being interviewed, while Johnson’s team prepared a huge gift behind him.
“A small token of my appreciation,” said the actor as the gift was being unveiled. When he saw the present, a huge truck, Reed couldn’t contain his tears and thanked the actor. Johnson posted the tender moment on his social media and captioned it, “Thank you for the blood, sweat, tears, and years.” Here’s the sweet video from The Rock’s Instagram:
What action scenes do you think Dawyne Johnson’s stunt double did for him? What errors have you spotted in your favorite movies? Let us know in the comments.
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