BBH LA Special: How To Take a Beating

Deep in the heart of Topanga Canyon at the end of a long dusty road south east of Malibu's flawless surf break lies the Killer Stunt Ranch — a stuntman’s playground where performers of different ages, shapes, sizes and experience levels meet up to practice the art of theatrical ass-kicking. It’s the kind of place stunt men dream of, filled with equipment like fall bags, break-away wood, and padding for every body part you can think of.

There, we met up with seasoned career stuntman, Steve Hart, and young apprentice Amy Johnston, to get a tour of the ranch. For our entertainment, Steve organized a workout with six talented stunt performers. Within minutes, they were throwing each other off buildings, staircases, getting hung from gallows, and seemingly beating the ever-living crap out of one another with two-by-fours.

We quickly learned that for these types of performers, trust is the name of the game. And as with all the world's mysterious arts, there is a code. And it is unspoken.