An Interview with Jeff Wolfe
Recently, I had the pleasure to chat with Jeff Wolfe. The current President of the Stuntman’s Association, Jeff has had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in action history over the course of the last 35 years. Now after years as a stunt performer and actor, Jeff has made the jump to the director’s chair…
CTB: Earlier this month, Outbreak, your first feature film as director, dropped on digital. But referring to you simply as the director of Outbreak is really underselling your involvement. What was it about the project that made you become the driving force for the film?
JW: Indeed we just opened in select theaters in the States on Friday the 13th! Very exciting!
Initially the Film was one of a few ideas we had that would enable me to make the jump from second unit action director to first unit director. After many years of attempting to get the chance on multiple TV shows I was involved in and a few feature Ideas, it was actually my wife, Jennifer Wolfe, who came to me and said “we need to do this ourselves because no one’s going to give it to you”. I thought that sounded crazy! You don’t just make your own movie! But I was used to working on huge budget features for some time and wasn’t seeing the possibility of doing something independent. So I took an idea a friend pitched me and co-wrote it with another friend, Lance Oschner, grabbed every actor friend I had while they were down during the writer’s strike, and we put our money where our mouth was! The result is Outbreak!
It’s a psychological thriller that reads as a zombie movie but it’s not what most people expect from that genre…
I wanted to give people the action and great creatures we’re all used to but wrap it in a heavier story. I’m not a fan of being spoon fed and think audiences would rather walk away from something having been affected… I’ve heard from a lot of people who are telling me the movie is still on their minds days later. That’s the best compliment I can get!
CTB: Your roots in the movie business are as a stunt performer, with your first two credits being some of PM Entertainment’s early films. How did you gravitate towards the movie business? And what was it like working for PM Entertainment?
JW: Wow. PM is going way back! I was in a lot of trouble as a kid and was put into martial arts by a probation officer who was a black belt. I had to go four days a week until I turned 18. Being from a broken home, I spent a lot of time watching movies in the theater while my mother worked at a bar. I suppose the mixture of those two created a future where I’d be working in action on the movies!
CTB: We are huge Jean-Claude Van Damme fans here at Bulletproof Action, to the point we have devoted entire weeks to the man. I would be remiss if I didn’t ask, what were some of your personal JCVD experiences on the set of Knock Off?
JW: Jean-Claude was the pinnacle action hero in the States when I was up and coming, so to get the call that I was going to play a part in one of his films was amazing! On top of that… I got to fight him! He was always great to work with and even better to just sit and talk to during the ever present downtime on set. I have many fond memories of my time in Hong Kong on Knock Off not the least of which was being there during the Handover ceremony!
CTB: You were in a movie that I don’t think gets enough love, Bloodsport 2! Any fun stories from working on that film?
JW: That was basically my first feature AND my first time overseas! I knew Bloodsport of course so getting a role in part 2 (no matter how silly) was exciting at the time. And going to Thailand for 5 weeks to film was a dream come true for a 23 year old kid! I remember I did the audition with another well know martial artist and friend TJ Storm. We had a great fight choreographed and did the whole thing as a skit where I crashed his audition and we fought! It gave us both a chance to show off our fight skills as well as our acting chops!
CTB: How did your involvement starring opposite Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China and America come about?
JW: My good friend James Noon who was at the time my acting manager called me and said “Sammo Hung is coming to Texas to do a OUATIC film and he’s auditioning people!” So we both jumped in a tiny Honda civic and drove from Los Angeles to Dallas Texas just to meet Sammo! The next day we turned around and drove back! I think it was a 22 hour drive…. The day after I was home, they called and said I got the part! Such an incredible memory.
CTB: You’ve done a lot of work on a variety of television series including Martial Law, Alias, and Rush Hour. Do you prefer working on movies or television more?
JW: Television has been a great way to learn about the craft of directing, especially under time constraints. Doing all of that second unit with a single camera and small crew on these shows taught me to shoot only what I need and know when I have what I want. You have to know when to move on because you’ve got it! It also was great for my family when the kids were small as we would be on a series in one city for nine months at a time back then. Now my boys are in high school and being home is more important so I prefer shooting in L.A. on features. Or at least somewhere for a shorter time so I don’t have to be away too long!
CTB: What would you say your craziest stunt has been?
JW: I think I’m most recognized for Drive and the elevator fight with Ryan Gosling, but the craziest?
That would likely be Punisher: War Zone doubling Ray Stevenson (Godspeed my friend), where I had to jump off a fourth floor scaffolding across an alleyway into a second floor window through breakaway boards! And it happened to be ten degrees outside at night in Montreal! Thankfully we got it in one take!
CTB: Finally, can we expect more directorial efforts from you in the future?
JW: Oh absolutely! Outbreak was me just getting started!
CTB: Thanks for your time Jeff, and I encourage everyone reading this to check out Outbreak!
