April of 2019, the Black community experienced a certain type of euphoria once again. People were both anxious and excited in regards to the release of the movie Avengers Endgame. The Black Panther made his return to the big screen as he joined the superhero team. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the film generated $2.7 billion.
 Chadwick Boseman returned to play the role of the African superhero. A big dose of swag, and action packed scenes made the Black Panther character very appealing to the audience once again. Boseman provided the swag, but he had help with the action packed scenes. When the director yelled cut, Boseman would step out and somebody else would step in.
Khalil La’Marr is the silent partner who contributed to the success of the Black Panther character. He helped the action scenes come to life due to the fact he was Chadwick Boseman’s stunt double.Â
A product of Detroit, Michigan Khalil La’Marr was raised by his mother in a single parent home. He has a great appreciation for his mother because of all the sacrifices she made for him and his brother. Growing up in the city of Detroit, Khalil gravitated to the wrong type of crowd. He found himself doing things that he knew were wrong. The life he started living forced him to live on the streets for a few years as a result of the choices he made. When you choose to live a certain lifestyle in Detroit, you automatically place your home in danger. Even though he was running around living a risky type of lifestyle, La’Marr still managed to graduate from high school.
A significant change in direction occurred after his daughter was born. La’Marr became motivated to turn his life around for the better. He realized he had an infant child who depended on him. Once he left Detroit and moved to Florida, he got involved in a live entertainment show. The experience of being a part of the live entertainment show inspired him to learn more. He would transition to acting, dancing, and doing stunts.
Sports/Entertainment Journalist Vince D’Writer had a one on one with stuntman/actor Khalil La’Marr.
Vince: Describe your Swagher. What makes Khalil, Khalil?
Khalil: People know me as a caring, motivating and goofy person. I love making people laugh. I love making people smile and feel good about themselves. People confide in me because I give good advice. I had crazy come-ups in my life that made me stronger. I use the struggle I went through in life to motivate and inspire others.
Vince: True or False. You’re a student of the martial arts?
Khalil: That can be like half n half. I studied Taekwondo for a little bit, and then I got out of it for a year. Then I picked up on Muay Thai and I fell off on that because of the pandemic. I’m not a master of martial arts, but I do have a martial arts background as well as combat and weapons training.
Vince: What came first, acting or dancing?
Khalil: It was acting. I started acting when I was in school doing the stage plays. I was acting and I played the violin as well. Fast forward a bit and that’s when I started doing adult stage plays. Then I saw a dance group, and I wanted to try that. I was a fitness model as well. Then I got into live shows which involved acting, dancing, singing, and stunts.
Vince: If a person reads this interview and gains an interest in becoming a stuntman, what is the process?
Khalil: I would say to get a martial arts background. If you feel like you don’t have the funds to pay for things, you can study free online tutorials. They also have tutorials to teach you how to fall. Going online is your best friend. You can study and learn different skills. Then you film yourself using what you learned, and put it in a video. After putting the video together, start marketing yourself. Instagram is a great tool for marketing your video.
Vince: To sustain a career as a stuntman, is it a matter of networking or auditioning for jobs?
Khalil: Networking is awesome. Auditioning is one thing, but networking is your best tool because you’re leaving an impression on someone. If you go to a set and you’re quiet, no one is going to remember you versus networking, talking to someone and introducing yourself. You never know when the next job will pop up. You can be talking to someone, and then all of a sudden they will ask you if you’re available on a certain date.
Vince: As a stuntman, do you get a script?
Khalil: Some productions give you a script so you know what’s happening, and what you’re doing. Some productions give you a map of the script where they explain to you what you’re doing, and you just work. You don’t get a script all of the time. That is not expected.
Vince: Walk me through a scene. The transition from actor to stuntman, how does that work?
Khalil: The way things happen is we’re their first. When the actors show up, we let them know this is the choreography for this and this is the action for this. We give them what we are taught. So eventually they will have the dialog and then the action comes after. They will do the dialog and then act like they’re going into the action, but then they have a cut. The stunt double comes in to do the action from a different angle. Then after the action is over, the stunt double goes out and the actor comes back in.
Vince: Once again you’re the stunt double for Chadwick Boseman in Spike Lee’s film Da 5 Bloods. How was it working with Spike Lee?
Khalil: I arrived in Thailand two weeks before Chadwick Boseman. The things he was supposed to be doing, I was doing it with the other actors. Spike is amazing to work with. He knows what he wants, and he’s not asking you to do multiple takes of everything. He wants to get it done and move on. I like working with Spike. It was my first time working with him. He cracks jokes on set, so it wasn’t all serious all of the time. He made it fun to be there.
Vince: For the better part of the year we have been experiencing the effects of COVID-19. How have you dealt with the pandemic?
Khalil: In the beginning it was a hassle because I’m accustomed to being busy and constantly doing something. When the pandemic became involved I was stationary and at home a lot. Being at home with my kids is great because I rarely get to spend all of this time with them because of work. It’s like a bittersweet feeling. I started doing random things around the house to keep myself occupied. Now with the gyms opening back up, it gives me another piece of therapy. I’m just staying occupied until film production starts back up.
Khalil La’Marr is a family man who loves spending time with his kids, and he appreciates being in a position that enables him to give back to the community. His career as a stuntman has been an impressive one. His film resume includes Avengers Endgame, and Luke Cage. He receives residuals from the films he performed in as a stuntman. Those physical investments have been paying off on a regular basis. Despite the fact that performing as a stuntman placed him in a comfortable financial position, La’Marr can see himself transitioning from stuntman to actor in the future. In the meantime you can catch Khalil La’Marr displaying his physical talent as Chadwick Boseman’s stunt double in Spike Lee’s film Da 5 Bloods, now playing on Netflix.
