“Wolfs” Stunt Coordinator George Cottle on Designing Superlative Stunts For George Clooney & Brad Pitt
For stunt coordinator George Cottle, it started on a warm summer’s day in Los Angeles. He and director Jon Watts were shooting an episode of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew when Watts mentioned a film idea he was developing to star Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Watts asked Cottle if he’d like to be involved.
“I’ve done three Spider-Man’s with him. I love the way he works,” says Cottle says. “There are a handful of directors who really stand out to me. I love being on set with them. I don’t care what it is. It could be a remake of the Teletubbies. Jon is definitely one of those guys.”
And just like that, Cottle became the supervising stunt coordinator for Wolfs. Streaming on Apple+ TV after a one-week theatrical run by Sony Pictures, the action/comedy stars Pitt and Clooney as two professional fixers who are inadvertently both hired to clean up the same murder scene. Then complications arise. The victim (Austin Abrams) turns out to be very much alive and in possession of a huge stash of drugs. The two lone wolves must join forces to stave off a gang looking to finish the hit and retrieve the drugs.
With a resume that runs the gamut from Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning Oppenheimer and sci-fi head trip Inception to superhero franchises like Nolan’s The Dark Knight and this blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther and the aforementioned Spider-Man trilogy — Homecoming, Far From Home and No Way Home — Cottle thought a lighthearted actioner might be a nice change.
There was one small detail. Watts hadn’t written a script yet. That didn’t bother Cottle. He reasoned that if it were good enough for Clooney and Pitt, it was good enough for him. Besides, being involved early has its advantages. “Jon would text or call me and be like, ‘Hey listen, if we did this. Do you think we could do it for real?’ And I’d be like, ‘Yeah. We could put the actors in a rig and have the car slide up,’” Cottle remembers. “And he’s like, ‘Great! That’s what we’re doing.’”
Then, as Wolfs’ start date drew near, Cottle realized weather would be a factor. “Hang on. This just came to me. We’re shooting this in New York right?,” Cottle asked Watts. “He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ And I’m like, ‘In January?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ And I’m like, ‘And the whole thing takes place at night?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah. It’s gonna be great.’ So I was like, ‘Okay… well… I’m too deep in now.’”
Chilly thoughts aside, Cottle was excited that New York was serving as his stunt canvas. “The energy is truly unlike any other city. New York is so electrifying,” he continues.
Watts, an NYU alumni and current resident, took full advantage of his home base. Wolfs showcases the city, especially during an action-packed chase. Abrams’ character (simply known as “The Kid”) makes a break for it, and the ensuing pursuit spans a lot of NYC real estate.
“George is chasing him in the car. Brad’s on foot. And Austin is running for dear life to get away,” explains Cottle. “It is so fun because we’re actually in New York. We weren’t trying to shoot Atlanta or New Jersey or wherever for New York. We got incredible permission to be on the streets. Chinatown, the Brooklyn Bridge, running Austin through all of these incredibly iconic places.”
Upping the comedy quotient, the entire sequence takes place with Abrams only wearing briefs. “One of the big heroes of this movie is young Austin,” continues Cottle. “New York City is telling everybody to get off the streets because it’s so cold and we’re running this poor kid and his stunt double through the streets in a pair of tighty-whities.”
A showstopping moment comes when the car accidentally hits the kid. Flipping upside down, he sails lengthwise over the car and lands perfectly on his feet behind the vehicle. Though Cottle had never attempted a gag like this before, he was game for the challenge when Watts told him the idea. “I’m like, ‘Don’t make me answer you now. Let me think about how we would achieve it and I’ll get back to you,’” Cottle replied.
And pull it off they did. “We put together a really good plan,” continues Cottle, crediting the entire crew for its successful execution. “Larkin (Seiple), our DP, really helped us work around the rigging and the lighting. We had to shoot at a much higher frame rate to get the slow motion that Jon wanted. There were many layers that we didn’t do in the street. It was a multiple pass process and it’s pretty bloody funny.”
Cottle is also complimentary of Clooney and Pitt’s stunt acumen. Watts’ goal was to put the stars in as much action as possible. That meant having Clooney and Pitt front and center for car chases, shootouts and fights. The A-listers continually rose to the challenge.
“They just get it,” says Cottle. “They have this ability, the bandwidth, to take in so much information and still act on top of that. I think that when somebody is so good at something, they make it look easy. That’s what’s truly fascinating about working with them.”
As an example, Cottle cites a gag where Clooney effortlessly dips a luggage cart to hook a body bag onto it. “We came up with this idea, and he walked in, watched somebody do it, and was like, ‘Okay, I got it. Where’s the camera?’”
Pitt was the same. Watts devised a move that sees the BMW Clooney is driving pivot 180 degrees and slide up to the sidewalk. As it comes to a stop, Pitt opens the door, steps out, and walks away without missing a beat. After working out the details with a stuntman, Pitt was brought on set. He watched a rehearsal and immediately got it. And he proved it by doing four flawless takes. “He’s incredibly coordinated, incredibly physical, and has a great understanding of his body,” adds Cottle.
When Cottle learned Clooney was a car and motorcycle fan, he was the logical choice to be in the driver’s seat. “He’s a very good driver, actually. Surprisingly so,” says Cottle. “I know he’s a bit of a petrolhead. As soon as I hear that, I find it a little bit easier.”
Clooney and Pitt weren’t the only high-profile duo Cottle has recently put through their stunt paces. After Wolfs wrapped, he took Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman through this summer’s blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine.
“There’s a lot more violence, fights and superheroes and all of that kind of thing,” says Cottle. “I know that sounds crazy, but the most fun for me was leaning into the violence. The vast majority of movies I’ve done over the last decade were PG-13. You’re limited on headbutts. You can’t see blood. All the small things you have to do to keep a PG-13 rating. Deadpool was the polar opposite. We were allowed to lean into that, especially with the comedy aspect. It was just so fresh. I really pushed the team.”
That meant pushing the film’s stars, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as well. “What Ryan and Hugh had to learn, all of that was next level. There was so much more going on, and they both nailed it,” says Cottle. “That was my first time with Hugh, and I think the only time I’ve seen an actor pick up choreography as fast is Tom Holland from the Spidey films or John David Washington in Tenet. It was beyond impressive.”
Though vastly different in terms of stunt challenges, Cottle believed in many ways, the films share a similar vibe. They were both loads of fun. January winter aside, Cottle had a ball filming Wolfs. He credits Watts. “I love the way he is with actors, the little jokes and silly humor, his ability to get them to a place where they understand exactly what’s going on,” Cottle says. “And Brad and George were the perfect combination to bring all of those elements together. The chemistry between them is incredible. It was mesmerizing to watch.”
Wolfs is streaming on Apple TV+.
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Featured image: George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Austin Abrams in “Wolfs,” now playing in select theaters and streaming on Apple TV+.
