PLANNING INTO ACTION: An Interview With Actor And Stuntman, Phong Giang

Click here and you’ll be able to see just how far back I began lending lip service to one of the most anticipated martial arts film titles at the time prior to its ensuing title, Plan B: Scheiss Auf Plan A (click here to read our review). That was in 2015 and it certainly feels like forever looking back as far as then in covering German film and stunt troupe, Reel Deal Action, as much as I have been.

As such, the past year has also shown furthering results for the team with at least two film titles currently in post-production, one of which I actually included in one of my Five-A-Day entries this month. For this, Giang is taking to Film Combat Syndicate this week in our final interview of 2017 to discuss the aforementioned, along with a bit about his life, his aspirations and much, much more.

2017 was an unbelievable year. Full of surprise and emotional moments for me – biggest of all being our debut movie, Plan B: Scheiss Auf Plan A, was released in the theaters by 20th Century Fox.

Tell us about yourself and how you got into film and stunts prior to becoming part of Reel Deal Action.

My Name is Phong. I’m 31 years old. I was born and raised in Germany (Berlin). I began training in acrobatics when I was eight years old. From that point on, I became a fan of action movies (mostly Hong Kong movies). After years of experience on various shows and live performances, I became a professional stuntman and a founding member of Reel Deal Action.

I’m a sports athlete and my talents can be seen in various projects. My acting and stunt performance can also be seen in my first martial-arts-feature film, Plan B.

You and your guys have generated some memorable short film projects. Which one stands out to you the most? And tell us why.

BAD CHOICE. WHY? Because of Sam Hargrave – one of the talented stunt coordinators in the movie industry I’ve ever met.

It was 2014 when we worked on the Hunger Games sequels together. We didn’t have much time, but that didn’t hinder my team and I along with Sam from shooting something pretty cool in just two days. Thanks of my teammates from Reel Deal (Can Aydin and Cha-Lee Yoon), we were able to manage everything to make that project happen.

Fighting against Sam was smooth and trouble-free. We choreographed all the fights on that day. I mean, who else can say they fought Captain America’s stuntdouble?

Fair point! 2017 finally saw the release of your new feature film, Plan B: Scheiss Auf Plan A, and I’ve been following this project in what feels like forever. How surreal must it be for you upon seeing the Reel Deal Action logo plastered on the big screen after the 20th Century Fox logo?

To be honest, I’m still speechless and can’t believe it every time I watch it. I mean its 20th Century FOX. OMG!

Plan B was our baby and we sacrificed everything we had for that project. Even big injuries like pulled hamstrings, knock outs, concussions and overtime shooting days couldn’t stop us. Everyone was doubting us for a finished version, but as you can see we made it to the big screen. Without my team and friends we couldn’t have gone so far.

Tell us about your role?

Phong is a family friendly guy and lives with his pregnant girlfriend in his apartment. He works as a stunt performer and tries to get every job he can get. The past year had been full of struggles though, and so Phong is worried about the future and well-being of his family. With that, he decides to take one last shot at a stunt job with his team, before things change. That’s when the plot thickens and he gets taken hostage and now needs his bros to help him out.

In my own view, Germany has such an immense talent pool when it comes to action actors and stunt players. What’s your view in terms of this and the challenges of getting a project like Plan B off the ground in your region?

The stunt community in Germany is not really big, compared to Canada or North America. Mostly they’re looking for non-asian performers, although slowly but surely it has improved and it makes it a bit easier to get a job, and I’m so very proud that we could pull off a project like Plan B under these conditions. That shows me that things are possible if you don’t give up on your dreams.

The film has some of the coolest action sequences I’ve ever seen. Tell us about the process of putting some of these fights together.

Putting the fights together wasn’t as easy as it appears to be. If you don’t have enough stunt guys around you that are used to Hong Kong style fighting, it ends up with doubling your own stunt people for longer fightbeats to get the shot done. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad we had all these stunt guys who helped us out and I really appreciate their enthusiasm. But if you are not used to doing longer takes or if you’re not proficient in executing fast, complex choreography and time constraints aren’t conducive to train with everybody involved, you ultimately have to figure a way around it without losing quality. With a low budget, you have to be very creative and flexible in every situation.

What’s it like working with Heidi Moneymaker? She totally shines in the film if I may say so myself.

OMG!…She is one of the toughest and best female stunt performers in the whole world. An unbelievable woman!

Even if you don’t know her, you can tell that she is a professional by watching her perform. The whole fight I had with her was prepared just a day before her scene. She picks up fast and makes it her own thing in a short amount of time.

As i said: UNBELIEVABLE!! What else do you expect of Scarlett Johansson’s double?

I’m not a collectibles kind of person but tell us: how rare is it to find a replica of Marty McFly’s Back 2 The Future jacket?

[Laughs] That wasn’t really my department. That’s part of the production side. They found it, but then again you will be surprised what you can find online!

Apart from movies and stunts, how important have the martial arts been for you in the course of your life?

Martial arts taught me a lot through my life journey. It’s not always about fighting to me. It’s about the values which we don’t see very often nowadays. It also depends on the teacher whether he/she can give you those life tools or not. But I was fortunate that I had people around me that kept me on a peaceful path, and I wouldn’t be the person I am without them, or martial arts for that matter.

Do you have a favorite cheat meal to binge on when you’re not training? What’s your guilty pleasure?

Nothing against my traditional vietnamese PHO soup or Turkish Döner Kebab! I would eat it every single day if i could!

What would you be doing in life if you weren’t working in movies?

I do have an education as a mechanic/electrician. I actually decided to quit my job 2014 to chase my current dreams.

Are there any trends and issues you would like to see acknowleged, changed or improved for the better in film?

Well I think there will be issues all the time, since doing movies is not about one person who decides everything. As a creative you have to sacrifice some of your vision you in order to meet everybody in the middle. We are all different people and that’s good just the way it is. Therefore I think that issues will be there all the time, although it is more a matter of how big or small they are. You just have to find a team with as much like-minded people as you can, I suppose.

You’ve kept yourself busy in the past year with a few projects including in Canada and in Thailand. Can you share some data with our readers about those?

On the set of “On The Ropes”

We shot a second feature film in Canada with the working title On the Ropes where I played the main villain. I wanted to try something different and I think I’m not a bad villain at all!

Also, through our really good friend B.L. we had the the opportunity to work with Steven Seagal for his upcoming movie, Attrition. We designed the whole action and I was his stunt double. Can Aydin was the action director and Cha-Lee Yoon had a role as a villain too. I can’t tell you too much but for those who are interested, have to wait until the release. All I can say is that I had an awesome time.

Gladly, Plan B has landed multiple territories and is also now available on Amazon Prime in Germany. Us here are still waiting in the states but what can you tell us of a Plan B sequel?

If you guys love Plan B, you will be excited to see Plan C. And yes, you are right! We are working on a good script for the sequel and we gathered some good ideas. Now it’s time to wait for the first good draft we can work on. Hopefully we will be fortunate and able to shoot next year.

What is it that keeps a group like Reel Deal together? Don’t any of you get annoyed with each other after awhile? ?

Of course we do have some issues in the group as well, but we always find a solution. The main thing(s) in our relationship is, that we trust, respect, stay loyal to each other and don’t disappoint as a human being. We are all imperfect and make mistakes, but what matters at the end of the day is if your core as a human is still good. We help each other in every situation and try to get the best out of us, and I think thats the main thing that keeps us together and united.

Will Reel Deal Action continue to create short film content online?

I feel as if stepping up our game and putting our main focus on feature films in the future is our priority now. There are a lot of great people around the world whom we would like to work with, so let’s see what the future brings us at any rate!

Is there anyone particular you hope to share the set with in the coming year?

Not anyone specific, to be frank. I’m mainly just open to the possibilities and prospects of working with anyone who has great talent and has something I can learn from.

Before we end things, I just want to thank you and Reel Deal Action for the hard work you continue to do for genre fans like us. Are there any final thoughts you would like to add for our readers?

We’ve received plenty of fantastic reviews about Plan B and from the bottom of our hearts, we would like to say THANK YOU. You guys are one big reason why we keep doing this. Reviews and reactions are always good motivations to continue and they show that you are on the right way.

Lee B. Golden III

filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com | Web

Native New Yorker. Lover of all things pizza, chocolate, pets, and good friends. Karaoke hero. Left of center. Survivor. Fond supporter of cult, obscure and independent cinema - especially fond of Asian movies and global action cinema. Author of the bi-weekly Hit List. Founder and editor of Film Combat Syndicate. Still, very much, only human.