Simu Liu had to undergo multiple challenges while working on his upcoming series The Copenhagen Test, and the toughest of them all was being hammered while performing his own stunts in the espionage thriller. The actor, who plays a Chinese-American intelligence analyst, revealed that he got "kicked in the face" several times while performing stunts.
However, thanks to talented stunt coordinators on the project, James and Chris Mark, it was ensured to make the set "as safe as" possible, the actor noted with a caveat that there’s always a little "risk" when it comes to stunt work.
"When you're doing fight scenes or you are, you know, you're running full speed through a hallway and you gotta blast through three people or whatever it is, stuff's gonna happen. Stuff's gonna go wrong. I remember I got ... been kicked in the face, been thrown against things, and things like that (on the set)," he added, in an interview with People.
Simu Liu stated that there's "nothing inherently wrong" with actors avoiding performing their own stunts, but underlined the difficulties of the post-production team in making the scenes work seamlessly. He noted how some shots with a stunt double "just aren't gonna sell".
Known for his work in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Barbie, Liu said actors working on their own stunts "gives the editor infinite more optionality in terms of where to cut and when." He further expressed his interest in challenging himself with these stunts, saying he's "way too competitive." "I think ever since I was 4 years old, if I see someone doing something and I think I could do it just as good or better. I always, I'm like, 'Great. Look, get me in there. I want in'," he shared.
Created by Thomas Brandon and executive producer James Wan, The Copenhagen Test "follows first-generation Chinese-American intelligence analyst Alexander Hale (Simu Liu) who realizes his brain has been hacked, giving the perpetrators access to everything he sees and hears." The synopsis further states, "Caught between his shadowy agency and the unknown hackers, he must maintain a performance 24/7 to flush out who’s responsible and prove where his allegiance lies."
The Copenhagen Test premieres on Peacock on December 27.
