Stunt multihyphenate James Newman has been in the field for about as long as I’ve been writing. He eventually popped up on my radar with his work on Blade Of The 47 Ronin several years ago and I’ve had my eye on him since; I try to keep up with a LOT of folks and I’m fortunate that Newman at one point alerted me to his latest directorial effort which is now headed to Big Bad Film Fest this week.
For this, we turn to We Are All Monsters, a narrative, bleak and cerebral thriller starring Troy Roker and Javier Macias, and centers on a detective’s obsessive quest to bring a ruthless killer to justice. You can read more about that here in my Shorts Roundup for the festival, while I’ve also managed to get a word in edgewise with Newman about his career, his background, his ambitions and influences, and much more.
Scroll on below to have a read, and tune into our home page for more upcoming reviews on the Big Bad Film Fest front, and also follow Newman on Instagram @newmied00d!
Good day James, and thank you for partaking in this Q&A with me. How is 2026 going for you so far?
Hello! 2026 has been a great year for cinema.
You’ve been working in stunts for well over a decade now. Tell us about your entry into this field.
I never set out to do stunts but my background in martial arts and love for filmmaking kind of paved the way for my career. At the time I had been training Japanese Jiu-Jitsu with some friends and then thirteen years had passed and I was the only one left. I earned a second-degree Black Belt and was teaching classes while I was in film school. During this time I was also a Production Assistant in New York City and I was fortunate enough to work on Michael Bay’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles where I got to see great stunt professionals in action and it inspired me to pursue this career. I landed my first stunt job in 2013 and since then the journey has been nothing but memorable.
I’m curious about the extent of your martial arts background and what drew you to the practice of it. I know my interest was born from wanting to kick like Van Damme, tried as I have but never as cool then.
My first martial art was Karate, which I trained with my sister for two-to-three years but as an energetic kid I lost the spark and shifted to soccer. I returned to martial arts when I was sixteen with the introduction of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. Ironically one of the head instructors at the dojo was an english teacher at my high school. I really latched onto the art and community it gave me and I give it a lot of credit for how it formed my character, especially now. I still love it.
I’m also interested in your pivot to directing and noticed you did a project in 2010 before taking on stunts more prominently. Was directing something you always wanted to do prior?
Yes, absolutely! I’ve wanted to be a filmmaker since I was ten years old and feel I’ve always had a strong sense of direction and ideas for films. I started making films with Legos in stop motion and moved on to backyard films in high school which drove me to film school after I graduated. I think shifting to stunts has helped my voice as a filmmaker and made directing something I’m passionate about.
What are some favorite films that influenced you in your craft over the years?
The Matrix is the ultimate film that changed my life and influenced my career, my wife and I even quoted it in our wedding vows. Other films that are the pillar of my craft are Interstellar, Princess Mononoke and Baby Assassins (my Letterboxd confirms this)! I am always inspired by Japanese and Korean films. Of course Nolan and Villanueva are some of my favorite modern film makers for good reason. But films with smaller budgets and strong voices, like Baby Assassins, are so exciting to enjoy. Or loud silly movies that are just there to entertain you, like the recent Godzilla films, how could you not love those?!
I want to get into your latest project, We Are All Monsters, which is your latest directorial gig in a while. Talk about how you came up with this story and idea and the choice to take the helm once more.
A close friend of mine has some property in Georgia and he has the bones of a house on it and was like “you gotta shoot something in here”. That sparked the idea. I had just the fight and wardrobe ideas to begin with. Then Troy, Javi and I got together to rehearse and shoot the previz. I was really happy with the fight and the edit but I felt like there was more to the story. Over the next few months we would shoot here and there and it came together the more I edited. It’s the valuable way to make a film but not always possible. Ironically, the first scene of the film was the last thing we shot.
You have Troy Roker, Javier Macias, and Kiera O’Connor each bringing something to the table for this project. Talk about what it was like working with these actors in your circle.
Kiera is a good friend and collaborator. Her skillset as an action performer and actor are invaluable. Together we have an understanding of each other so we are always able to make great things. Troy and Javier are friends of mine, we’ve connected on set and through training. I have done projects with Javi in the past, he is such a good guy to have around, he is always down to have fun. Troy has a background in water sports and bikes and he loves a good challenge. He gives his all so I really formed this character around him. They both took to their roles so well, it was nice! I think when you have people who are passionate about making something together it elevates it.
I definitely see some Kim Jee-woon and a little Sonomura inspiration for the fight finale. That scene woke me up a little bit. Talk about putting the action together for this one.
You definitely nailed my references. I Saw The Devil is an incredible film. I love that taxi scene and how quickly violent it becomes. There is something so shocking about it. I thought it would be cool to do action meets horror and a lot of the film is centered around that theme. Sonomura is amazing. He’s my favorite action designer. Baby Assassins is incredible and that finale fight is such a feat of athleticism and raw talent from both performers. It’s really inspiring on a lot of fronts. Each time I watch those films I get something more from them. For my film, It was a different approach to putting together the finale, I knew I wanted certain moments to happen and Troy and Javi helped flesh those out. It was also tricky to fight some of my own tendencies and to work in a style that I wasn’t fully familiar with. I wanted to push the tempo and energy and the guys were up for the challenge. I am thankful for their dedication and their belief in me and you can hopefully see it in the final product.
You’ve had a phenomenal trajectory over the years coming into stunt performance on some big current and upcoming films including The Odyssey and this year’s Dune: Part Three as an aside to your own directing aspirations. What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve taken with you to this day that perhaps other aspiring professionals should learn?
Mainly, to love the craft on any scale. I like to remind myself on every project or set I am apart of how lucky I am to be there. What we get to do is incredibly special and not lost on me. I wake up every day excited to work in the industry. Also to watch movies – in theaters – and TV. So many people are doing incredible work and it’s so inspiring.
Are you aiming to develop or direct something else in the near future?
Currently I have another short that I started shooting and will be performing in, that I hope to finish by the end of the year. I am writing a feature film that I would love to make at some point and I have been enjoying that process. I will always love making short one day, films or sequences because it is fun to experiment and explore ideas with less pressure.
I want to thank you for taking the time to share a little of your story with readers. With We Are All Monsters premiering this weekend, are there any thoughts you would like to share with Big Bad Film Fest attendees as we make our exit?
I’m really proud of this film and how it came together so I hope you enjoy!