Jason Bell is a driven and talented stunt performer who can be currently be seen on the big screen as Captain Kirk’s first security officer in Star Trek Beyond. He has worked on MANY TV and movie productions and has a very impressive resume of stuntwork. We had the opportunity to ask Jason some questions about his career and interests. Check out the interview below!
CW: You are a very well-traveled and versed person who could have chosen a different path other than acting and stunt work. What motivated you the most to pursue your career?
Jason: Thank you. It was always hard for me to do just one thing. After my military career I wanted to focus my energy and skill set somewhere else. Having a background in martial arts and growing up as an athlete, film seemed like the right fit. I haven’t looked back since.
CW: A lot of your roles tend to be on the geekier side of things from Smallville, to X-Men, and most recently in Star Trek Beyond. What sort of geeky things are you into?
Jason: I’m a massive UFO geek! I’ve always been fascinated with space, space travel and UFO’s. Whenever I visit my dad down in Palm Springs, I always drag my girlfriend up to the mountain areas to try and spot one. I plan on doing an Area 51 tour next year down in New Mexico. I can’t wait.
CW: The truth is out there right?! Which DCTV show (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash) has been your favorite to be a part of? What’s it like to be a part of the CW world?
Jason: That’s a very tough one to narrow down. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on all three and double pivotal characters on each production. If I have to answer right in this very moment though, I’d say The CW’s “Legends Of Tomorrow”, because I’ve been a very active part of that stunt team. I doubled Hawkman last season and in season two I get to double one of the old school DC superheroes in a flashback portion of the show.
CW: Yeah, Legends is definitely the stand out show amongst the three, looking forward to season 2! We know that you’re going to be in the new Prison Break series on Fox. Did you already have a relationship with Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell from being on Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash?
Jason: I definitely got to hang out and chat with the boys quite a bit on both CW shows. They’re both great actors and overall pretty cool guys. It was neat to see them on different sets.
CW: We’ve heard that before and are big fans of those guys in all of their roles. Are there other upcoming projects that you are excited to be apart of that you can tell us about?
Jason: I finished working on WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, which was a blast to work on. One of the highlights of working on the production was getting to meet Andy Serkis. I had the opportunity to stunt double Kevin Spacey in the upcoming film NINE LIVES and I’ve also been working on NBC’s “Timeless” doubling for actor Matt Latner.
CW: We are looking forward to those projects and can’t wait for the next installment of Planet of the Apes! Here are some “age old” debate questions, Star Wars or Star Trek? Marvel or DC Comics? Which ones do you prefer and why?
Jason: Again tough call on both questions. I had an amazing time working on STAR TREK BEYOND and I love the whole reboot series and the direction they’ve gone in, but I’m an old school STAR WARS fan. I’ve been obsessed with those films since I was a kid. As for Marvel or DC, I might get flak for this because I work on the DC shows, but I’m a Marvel guy. I grew up reading Spiderman and X-Men comics. Wolverine alone is enough of a character for me to have my allegiance lay with Marvel!
CW: Wolverine and the X-Men are definitely a good enough reason. If you could choose one character from the world of geek to portray in a movie or TV show, who would it be and why?
Jason: If you asked me when I was 15 I would have said Spider-man, but today I’d have to say Wolverine. Here you have this guy who never gets sick, ages super slow and has seen and done just about everything. There’s a part of his lifestyle that is super lonely but I resonate with elements of that. I wandered around a lot growing up, had a million different jobs and traveled a lot in my life. So I have to go with old Wolverine.
CW: Time to start growing those mutton chops! What advice would you give to someone who wanted to pursue a career in stunt work and/or acting?
Jason: Get out there, start training and forge relationships. Many people can be idle and wait for the phone to ring but the people that will work are the people who are training, learning new skills and taking acting classes. It’s a scary and fascinating industry but if you persist, train for the job and be real with people, you’ll go far.
