Black Lightning's Cress Williams Felt No Shame Calling For Backup During Intense Stunts
Though our current pop culture landscape might be a bit overstuffed with superheroes, there's always room for more if you approach it from a unique perspective. This is the case with "Black Lightning," a series that's not about a plucky young hero discovering their powers and coming to terms with their new identity but rather about a man who quit the hero gig nearly a decade ago.
However, like Batman before him in Frank Miller's beloved "The Dark Knight Returns," Jefferson Pierce, a.k.a. Black Lightning (Cress Williams), is pulled back into the world of vigilantism when his city becomes overwhelmed by an out-of-control street gang. For Williams himself, though, the action on The CW series had him feeling a little out of his depth at times.
Luckily, the actor had a great stunt team behind him on "Black Lightning." Though Williams admitted he'd been careless with his body on set when he was younger, he played it a lot safer on The CW series. "I'm so happy that I got it all out of my system," he told The Chicago Tribune. "On 'Black Lightning,' I have a stunt double who's a lot younger than me."
Cress Williams is in no hurry to risk his life or his safety
While actors like Jackie Chan and Tom Cruise have made entire careers out of their ability to perform their own death-defying stunts in one film after another, Cress Williams says he's more than happy to leave it to the professionals. "I have no problem telling people I have a great stunt double," he explained.
The actor was emphatic that he is not the one behind the most dangerous moments on "Black Dynamite" and that is the way that he likes it. "I'm not that guy who's like: 'I do all my own stunts,'" Williams said. "Like, no, no, no — it's make-believe, and I'm not in the mood to die. I'm not in the mood to get hurt; I have a wife and kids!" he emphasized. "So I'm thankful that I did those things in my 20s, and now my approach is much safer."
Still, the performer is not without his own occasional pain or discomfort on the set of "Black Lightning." "I've had certain days on wires where I've been like, 'Man, this hurts!'" he told Collider. "'It's actually painful! This is not fun!'" All the same, the actor acknowledged that, despite how uncomfortable wire work can be, he trusts the crew that it will be worth it when he sees the episode in question.