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Emmy-nominated stuntman Paul Lacovara found himself immersed in the world of stunt doubling after taking on work as an extra in We Were Soldiers. With an early background in martial arts that helped get his foot in the door, he’s since doubled as Hollywood legends like Christian Bale, Ryan Reynolds, Eric Bana, Tom Hiddleston, and others. In 2025, he received an Emmy nomination for his work on The Rookie. Here’s what he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his work on the show, doubling for A-listers, and where he’s headed next.

Emmy-nominated stuntman Paul Lacovara shared how he got started in the stunt world

Growing up in the California coastal town of Los Osos, Paul Lacovara didn’t get into stunt work until his college years. He studied sociology and anthropology when his workout partner asked if he wanted to join him as an extra on a film. That film was We Were Soldiers.

“We were on that show for about three months, making minimum wage — $6.75 an hour,” Lacovara told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. He then became one of the core extras.

“I basically got to set — you hang out with your buddies all day long. You joke around; you get to ride around in helicopters and shoot guns, and you get paid for it. And I was like, ‘This is it. This is exactly what I was doing as a kid.’ And now we get paid for it.”

Following Lacovara’s work on We Were Soldiers, he worked on the set of Hulk. But the early days weren’t easy. He traveled between San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles, sleeping in his car overnight and putting thousands of miles on his car. Finally, in 2005, his career took off after he doubled for Christian Bale.

“I quit bartending then and started doubling Christian Bale, Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper, Eric Bana, Jon Hamm …,” he explained.

The stunt double says all of the celebrities he’s worked with have been ‘great’

Stuntman Paul Lacovara doesn’t have a favorite celebrity he’s worked with, as they’re all “pretty great.”

“The first actor I really started doubling was Eric Bana,” Lacovara recalled, noting that he worked with Bana on the 2007 film, Lucky You. “That’s where we were thrown into a pool 10 feet up into an empty pool.” Following Lucky You, Lacovara noted that Bana continued to request to work with him as a double.

The stuntman later doubled for Ryan Reynolds in the 2013 film, R.I.P.D. He went on to work with Reynolds on commercials abroad.

“Those two guys are great,” Lacovara recalled. “Everyone’s so great, really. You know, I haven’t had a bad experience with any actors.

Lacovara continued by noting that Tom Hiddleston became one of his favorite actors to double, as did Theo James. He worked closely with Hiddleston on Thor (2011) and The Avengers (2012). “That was probably one of the greatest highlights of my career,” he said. Later, he called working on The Avengers his “favorite project of all time.”

“We were close friends for awhile there,” Lacovara noted regarding Hiddleston. “He’s just such a great guy, and he was requesting me, which means a lot to a young man. And we did so many cool gags on that show — so many cool stunts.”

Of course, working on dangerous stunts comes with risk. Lacovara told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that he suffered cracks in his sternum, followed by a larynx injury after a stunt involving a kick to the chest from another stunt double. In another stunt involving a 35-foot jump, he broke his foot and nose and tore a ligament in his neck. Unfortunately, the cameraman missed the shot the first time, resulting in Lacovara repeating the stunt with his injuries before heading to the hospital.

During yet another stunt involving a horror film, Lacovara cracked his sacrum on a kitchen floor. “And this is one of those things that you just have to live with,” he explained. “So I was uncomfortable for a month, but we went through it, and it was all good.”

Paul Lacovara discussed his Emmy nomination for ‘The Rookie’ and what’s next

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Paul Lacovara received an Emmy nomination in 2025 for Outstanding Stunt Performance due to his work on The Rookie. The nominated stunt featured Lacovara doubling for Steve Kazee in a high-intensity sequence, including a car collision followed by a brutal physical confrontation.

“All of a sudden, we were on a list with the 73 others who were up for nomination, and then it came down to the final five, and we were on the list. And that was pretty sweet. That was a nice surprise, for sure. … And so, we’ll see if it comes to fruition on the 6th.”

So, what’s next for Lacovara? While he still performs, he’s moving more into directing.

“I’m still performing, but I’m still trying to really push the directing side of my career. … I’m trying to get a movie off the ground, which is the proof of concept I wrote awhile ago called 38 Minutes,” he explained. The concept is based on the false missile alert that was issued in Hawaii via the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert System on Jan. 13, 2018. Lacovara heard several stories from people directly affected by the panic that this alert caused.

“The movie writes itself, right?” he asked. “If you believe you and your family only had minutes left, what lengths would you go to protect them? What would you do in that situation? And so, I made that short film, and now I’m still trying to get that off the ground.”

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