Clay Donahue Fontenot is one of Hollywood's most sought after and successful stuntmen and coordinators. He has doubled some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

His work includes such huge hits as Blade, Iron Man, Logan, Django Unchained and most notably the Equalizer franchise.

Business Insider named Fontenot one of the most famous stunt doubles in Hollywood.

You said, “Dying is one of my specialties.” How did this come about?

Well, as a Stuntman in Hollywood we make most of our living getting beat up, crashing cars, being shot off buildings, being lit on fire or being blown up by the actors in order to make our stars look good on TV and the Big Screen. But as a Stunt Double for the hero in TV or film, the Stuntman gets to do much of the same action, but in most stories the hero lives.

Take us through your martial arts training: Where did you start? What styles did you start with? Who did you study with? How did that training carry over to stunts?

My first exposure with Martial Arts came about the age of 6 or 7 years old. We lived in an apartment complex in Tallahassee, FL. and sometimes I would see this guys out in the grass between the apartment buildings moving in stance or practicing Kata. I went over and asked him what he was doing and he said “Karate, do you want to learn?”

I asked my parents and they said yes to letting me practice Shotokan and Shōrin-Ryū with him off and on for a year or so before he moved away. I loved it!!

After that I went on to study Shinjimasu Goju with Sensei/Renshi Gallop Franklin for a few years where I learned so much about body conditioning, chi, and perseverance.

You know those great stories about schools that have you running a mile bare foot on asphalt holding your arms at shoulder level straight out to the sides with a half gallon jug of water in each hand without stopping or letting your arms drop to your sides? Or being in horse stance on a tile floor for minutes at a time while balancing cups of soapy water on each thigh, where if you spilled it, …well now you gotta get back in that stance on a super slippery tile floor and hold your balance while being whacked with the Bamboo Shinai.

This was one of those great “old school” schools that was off the beaten path that hadn’t yet been commercialized. It offered lots of great adventures in personal growth…not for the faint of heart.

A few years later, at this same Goju school is where I would meet my next instructor Sensei Darryl Baldwin and begin my journey in the art of Kyokushin Karate!

In Goju, we sparred on Saturdays and on this particular Saturday there was a guest whom I’d never seen before. He was an acquaintance of Renshi Gallop’s who had stopped in for a workout. I agreed to spar with him and he proceeded to expose my every weakness during our session with tips and pointers on how to correct each one, …while at the same time effortlessly executing the fastest yet crisp, clean and accurate techniques I had ever seen. I went home inspired by this man and upped my training game 100%.

A full year would pass before I would run into Sensei Darryl Baldwin again upon his return from the military in Okinawa. He studied Kyokushin under Shihan Bobby Lowe of Hawaii and came back to Tallahassee, FL to open his Kyokushin School. I would join his school the week of his grand opening and stayed with him all the way up through the ranks to black, fighting on the on the circuit and competing in the Kyokushin world championships in Atlantic City.

Since then, I’ve been exposed to lots of different disciplines in the film and entertainment industry but Kyokushin is my home!

I now have two Daughters who have entered the world of martial arts and they have studied under Sensei David Dunn at Premier Martial Arts Academy in Santa Clarita, CA. While my Daughters were training there Mr. Dunn introduced me to Jujutsu for the first time. I only had the opportunity to spend a month on the mats with them but it has sparked fondness and inspiration to continue studying here in Costa Rica.

Most people growing up can only dream of the places you have been and things you have done, but was it ever a dream for you growing up? And what gave you the confidence to pursue this dream?

As a martial artist, I had always dreamt of being Stunt Actor and Stuntman in the entertainment industry but, when I was younger it was a goal that seemed unobtainable by a small town guy like myself.

Then at 22 years old, I saw a TV show that was starring a female friend I went to high school with and I instantly thought, “If she can do it, I can do it!” I started saving my money to move to Hollywood, CA. the very next day. 6 months later I was in California trying to figure it all out.

Even at that point I had no idea of the opportunities that would be presented to travel to all over the world and have so many wonderful experiences. I was just happy I got to do the things I love doing as my occupation, … the rest has been and still is a welcomed bonus!

What is the most difficult stunt role you've had to prepare for and film?

The most difficult stunt role I’ve had to prepare for was the work in the Ironman suit for several reasons. (I did the work in the suit for the end of Ironman I, all of Ironman II, all of Avengers and all of the reshoots for Ironman III). The first reason it was difficult is because I wasn’t Doubling someone when I was in the suit. Robert Downey Jr. was Tony Stark but Ironman was a completely separate character that I had to become. I had to make all of the heroic movement choices for the character. I didn’t have a coach, someone to watch or someone to tell me what to do. Lucky for them Ironman was my favorite comic book hero and I ran around practicing all his move when I was a kid so that came somewhat naturally.

The second reason why it was difficult was because of how restrictive the suit actually was when trying to do fight choreography in a scene. Not only was your movement restricted but it also pinched and drew blood at all the joints when bending 90 degrees or more. Still an absolute honor and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

What is the most memorable stunt?

Most memorable stunt is a hard one to answer because there are so many, … and so different! So here are a few:

The Blood Club Fight in the first Blade movie. Great choreography by the Great Sifu Chuck Jeffries, Wesley Snipes, and Jeff Ward!

Heck, all the Blade fights in all the Blade movies were so fun and memorable I have to list them all!

Another memorable stunt was a cannon car crash in the movie RIPD where I flipped a car through an intersection in the streets of downtown Boston. I can send you the footage if you like.

What is the most dangerous stunt?

I would have to say the most dangerous stunt was in the movie US Marshals where I jumped off the roof of an 18 story building holding a rope attached to the opposite end of the roof. This created a gigantic swing which swung me down and over a train station roof that I transferred to. I then had to run along the roof and jump to the last car of the train as it went by. No safety nets back then so the steaks were pretty high!

In what ways have you evolved since the beginning of your career? Has your mindset changed? Your expectations/standards? Have you altered goals?

My goals will alway be the same and that is to give the absolute best performance I have in me, no matter how big or small the project or job is!

Since the beginning of my career my fights and the way I fight had to change right out of the gate! Since movies and TV entertainment are not real we have to pull our punches and kicks, or sometimes throw bigger and wider haymaker type techniques for it to register on camera. This can allow us to sell the desired effect for a specific reaction and then the audience can follow the story being told. More often than not, it feels really weird and or the timing is off, but if it looks good on camera then it works for the action. This takes getting used to because we don’t see what the camera sees until we watch playback, so you have to develop the skills of being aware of the camera at all times and understanding the angles so you can play to them as the action in the scene develops.

My expectations and standards of today's talent, techniques and technologies have far been exceeded. The bar has been raised so much that I can’t wait to see where we go from here. I’m so blown away by today’s filmmakers as well as today's modern martial arts practitioners. MMA is where it’s at!

After jumping off buildings, fighting space aliens, going against the Russian mob, and dying in countless ways including a Mandingo battle to the death, is there a stunt you still want to do?

I’m totally grateful that I’ve had the opportunities over the years to experience all the great big blockbuster gags and to have had the chance to work with the amazing film crews and fellow stunt professionals that make all the incredible action possible in this business.

I still train hard week in and week out and keep my body ready for whatever the industry has for me next! I’m open, so Bring it!