Clayton J. Barber shares Life of Action II
Hollywood fight and stunt coordinator Clayton J. Barber (Black Panther, Creed, The Guest, Marvel’s Jessica Jones) shared a picture showing him enjoying his copy of Life of Action II. He gives a great, insightful interview in the book, from his days competing with and coaching the US National taekwondo team, to shifting into movies, stunts, action design and even directing.
Interestingly, he's even mentioned on The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast a number of times for his long history in TKD, competing around the same time as Joe. It would be awesome to see him as a guest one day! Don’t forget, the book is available now.
From Life of Action II…
Born in Dallas, Texas, Clayton J. Barber grew up with an obsession for cinema from all over the world which helped steer him to martial arts. Captivated, like many others, by the charisma and physical prowess of Bruce Lee, he was enrolled in taekwondo classes which put him on course to compete with the US National Team for the Olympics. The skills he forged would provide his first opportunity to enter film and television.
Cutting his teeth in the stunt department on popular 1990s shows like Walker, Texas Ranger, Martial Law and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he would become one of the busiest fight-orientated stunt coordinators in Hollywood with career highlights including The Guest, Creed and Marvel’s Black Panther.
Refining training methods from his taekwondo days in the US National Team, both competing and even coaching, Clayton has developed a teacher-student bond with many actors. In doing so, he has prepared many stars for the physical and mental demands of shooting action over a long filming schedule and ensures he gets the best from them.
With storytelling at the centre of his action, and having taken first steps into directing, he identifies filmmaking as a future chapter in his work and remains a talent to watch closely, both as a coordinator and writer-director prospect.
