Hollywood stuntman with more than 300 credits reveals hardest film he's ever done

Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters are known and loved for their action-packed fight scenes and, with more than 300 film and TV credits to his name, Paul Lacovara is often the talent behind them.

Paul, a 2025 Emmy nominated stuntman, has doubled for some of Hollywood's most popular A-list stars and he was up for an award for Outstanding Stunt Performance at the Creative Arts Emmys for his work on ABC’s hit series The Rookie. He has also worked on popular shows like NCIS, Star Trek: Picard and Magnum PI.

He has endured everything from a cracked sternum and crushed larynx to a broken sacrum and torn ligaments, and he spoke exclusively to Reach titles about his most challenging roles.

The stunt co-ordinator recalled one time he was badly injured during a fight scene but "did not tell" production.

He explained: "[It was during rehearsals on a major feature. I was working a fight scene where my opponent—a world champion in Tae Kwon Do—was supposed to kick me in the chest.

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"Unfortunately, he didn’t pull it. He blasted me full-force, shin straight to the sternum.

"I heard a crack, saw a flash of white light, and dropped to my knees. X-rays later showed my sternum was spiderwebbed with fractures.

"But I didn’t tell production—I just took a few pain pills, leaned on some friends to cover certain moves, and kept going until it healed in time for shooting."

Yet this was not his most difficult moment to date, as he unveiled the most difficult stunt of his career.

He added: "The most difficult stunt I’ve ever had to perform was doubling Tom Hiddleston as Loki on The Avengers.

"It wasn’t just one stunt—it turned into multiple fight sequences that spanned weeks. I was on that film for about six months, with nearly three of those dedicated just to rehearsal.

"The training alone was grueling—eight hours a day of fights and wire work—but once cameras rolled it became even tougher, because we couldn’t hide crash mats.

"That meant day after day we were hitting concrete, cars, and walls with nothing to soften the impact."

A particular three-week stretch pushed him to his limit, mentally and physically.

He detailed: "On First Unit, I doubled Tom directly so his face could be seen during action. On Second Unit, I was Loki while Tom filmed elsewhere.

"Sometimes that meant repeating the same punishing action twice, just for different angles.

"During that time I fought Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man—and in every single fight, Loki was on the receiving end of the beating.

"That’s the challenge of doubling a superhero, or in this case a god: they don’t die. So while an ordinary human character might get knocked out or stay down, as a stunt performer you have to take these massive, bone-rattling hits over and over, take after take, and keep getting back up as if nothing happened."

Despite the literal knock-backs, Paul said it was one of the reasons why he loves his job.

"That’s what makes it so demanding—but also why I love the job," he concluded.

"As stunt performers, we accept that punishment because we get to bring these extraordinary characters to life, which continually pushes our own limits.

"No matter how hard it gets, I wouldn’t trade it for the world."