David Holmes was a boy who spent the day doing pirouettes. His passion led him to become an outstanding gymnast in the county of Essex (England). At the age of 17 he received an opportunity that would change his life. He was offered to become the main stunt double for a young actor, six years younger than him, Daniel Radcliffe, who was going to play the role of an apprentice wizard named Harry Potter.
For years, David was performing stunts that were considered risky for the star of the saga. He was happy. “On my first day at work I had to be the first Quidditch player in the world,” he recalls, smiling. "We put a broomstick in the back of a truck and drove it around the studio track, with director Chris Columbus looking into the camera shouting, cheering and saying 'yeah, I think this is how we're going to do Quidditch.' '”.
Years passed and preparing for one of the last scenes of the confrontation between Harry Potter and Voldemort in the seventh film of the series, The Deathly Hallows, Part 1, in January 2009, Holmes was seriously injured. While rehearsing a stunt in which he was quickly pulled backwards with a harness, he crashed into a wall and broke his neck. He was 26 years old.
“My first thought was 'don't call my father and mother. I don’t want to worry them,’” David recalls. “I hit the wall and then landed on the mat below. My coordinator grabbed my hand and said, 'Squeeze your fingers.' “I could move my arm to grab his hand but I couldn’t squeeze his fingers.” The gymnast was immediately taken to the hospital, where he was told that he would be paralyzed for life from the neck down.
Almost 15 years later, his life has been turned into a documentary, David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, on HBO Max, which tells how this stuntman overcame that ordeal. “Obviously, breaking your neck is not the most positive story associated with these films, but I hope that by sharing it you will see that I am able to overcome horror with humor,” explains Holmes. “It has taught me to be more present. Life is a gift. We have to accept the fact that we are going to lose many of the things we love. I learned that lesson at 26 years old.”
Holmes exudes optimism and gratitude. “Having a positive mind means everything. I also think that if you are positive about your disability, it can help you live with it.” And that's how David continued with his life: he created the production company Ripple Productions and launched the Cunning Stunts podcast, where he interviews other stunt performers to highlight his work and the risk it entails.
The protagonist of the documentary, which has Daniel Radcliffe as executive producer and also appears in the film, details the key role that his friendships have had in his life. Among his best friends is precisely the actor. Since they met, they forged a friendship that lasts to this day. For Radcliffe, stuntmen like Holmes were the older kids who took him in and made him feel like a little brother. “They were the guys who were with me every day,” says Radcliffe. Holmes agrees: “He was like my little brother in the movies and then he grew up to be one of my best friends.”
There is not a hint of self-pity in the documentary. On the contrary, David wants those who see it to receive a hopeful message. “In life you are a victim or a survivor. “I choose to be a survivor, and if that has a knock-on effect for other people who are going through hardships in life, then it's worth it.” His dream is to create a stunt school for young actors. “The only thing that has real value in this world is opening doors for other people.”
