After playing the role of James Dalton in the cult-classic film Road House, Patrick Swayze moved on to other career opportunities. Fresh off the action film and moving away from the image Dirty Dancing painted of him, the actor starred in a movie that would change his image in the film industry in the best of ways. The actor joined the cast of Point Break, the film that put Keanu Reeves on the map.
While there is no doubt that the movie turned into a classic, it seems that the filming was not as smooth as many would think. During a behind-the-scenes feature of the film, Swayze talked about what filming the action sequences was like for him. As the actor revealed, there were multiple occasions during filming where he almost died. All because of his dedication to his craft.
Patrick Swayze Wanted to Do His Own Stunts
In a bonus feature from Point Break, via Farout, Patrick Swayze went into great detail about what it was like for him to shoot the action sequences in the movie. He started by revealing something very interesting about the stunts. When it comes to stunts in projects of any kind, hiring stuntmen is much more common than actors performing the dangerous tasks themselves.
However, there are a few who like to do as much as they can themselves for the sake of authenticity. It would seem that Swayze fell into the latter of the two categories, wanting to do all of the very dangerous stunts himself.
Many creators and insurance companies are against such an approach, as it can become a nightmare if someone gets hurt. There was one specific scene that the actor had to fight to be a part of; when his character goes skydiving.
“It’s very funny because I had to battle insurance companies to get to do the skydiving in the movie, and I never came close to dying once.”
Despite the concerns, it was another sequence that became life-threatening for Swayze.
Patrick Swayze’s Dedication Came at a Cost
At one point in Point Break, Patrick Swayze’s character, Bodhi, was surfing through the ocean, guiding through thrilling waves. In real life, the experience was not as enjoyable for the actor as it was for his character. In the interview, he revealed that he almost died on multiple occasions during the filming of the surfing scene.
“I almost died six to ten times,” Swayze admitted. “I thought I was outta here. I had this bone in my sternum that I almost injured being on much bigger waves than I had any business being on.”
It would seem that Swayze also had limits to how much he was willing to risk his life. The actor only wanted to get a shot of his face in the waves so the stunt double could take over the rest. However, even when he was filming this, there were multiple occasions where he almost lost his life.
Point Break is available for streaming on Paramount+.
