Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Benoit
Hi Morgan , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Burlington, Vermont. Coming from a small town I always wanted to explore the world. From a young age I always had a passion for martial arts. Growing up, I would watch Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Shaw Brothers movies non stop.
When I was 15 I enrolled in the Vermont Kung Fu Academy. As a part of the testing process in that school, we were required to write essays, on philosophy, martial arts etc. This deepened my understanding and curiosity of eastern thought and culture.
When I turned 18, as soon as I graduated form high school I took a backpack, and left for Beijing China, where I ended up living, training, and working for 10 years, from 1998 to 2008. While in China I studied wushu (a modern style of Chinese martial arts) at the Beijing Sports University and Shi Cha Hai Sports School. In 2007 I did my first big movie with Jackie Chan and Jet Li (The Forbidden Kingdom) where I had a supporting role. After my experience on that film, I decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. I currently live in LA where I work as a stunt performer and actor.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, in 2009, when I first moved to LA there was a writers strike so work was very scarce. It was a difficult time for someone like myself, with absolutely no connections to break into this industry, I struggled for many years, until I got my first “break” in 2013 where I doubled Keanu Reeves for the reshoots of 47 Ronin in 2013 under a great stunt coordinator (Jeff Imada). That job definitely set the stage for my career here in the west.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a stunt performer. I specialize in fights, wire work and fight choreography. I am known for being a good stunt double, some jobs that come to mind are doubling Tom Ellis on Lucifer (season 3 through 6) Gabriel Luna (Agents of SHEILD), Ray Stevenson (Ahsoka), Marton Csokas (Into the Badlands), Daniel Wu (West World) Simu Liu (Atlas). I also love acting, I’ve had my share of guest stars and co-stars, mostly playing henchmen.
I think what sets me apart from others in my experience training and woking in China. Training in China is pretty rough, you kind of get the ego beat out of you, and you learn to become very disciplined, and I think that has carried over well into my career in entertainment here.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: morganrbenoit
- Youtube: morganbenoitofficial
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2110810/
