The Jeff Pruitt Low Down.

     Height:    5' 8"

     Weight:    155 Lb

     Eyes:       Green

     Hair:       Dark Brown

Jeff Pruitt as officer Patrelli

(sorry to embarrass you Jeff, but I had too )

Searching the internet there is a little bit about Jeff out there, I could copy it and put it on my page, but I think that is well, not wrong, but why have the same stuff twice ? so I will be putting up stuff that I get from Jeff first hand, (except pictures, as they are hard to come by, so I will take those from the web) So you can guarantee that anything about Jeff Pruitt (and Sophia Crawford) on my page is all original stuff.

Jeff Pruitt was born on January 15, in Georgia. In those days, shows like Bruce Lee's GREEN HORNET (which wasn't really Bruce Lee's, but he is the one that really made it super popular) & Zorro gave Jeff the desire to be in the film industry. Making movies at home with Super Cool Stunts, with a   TV guide telling what was on which day, and what he had done launched him into the mindset of stunt man. Coming from a Martial Arts background, along with Motor cross and car racing, Jeff found he had a good basis for getting into stunt work, and after a lot of doors slammed in his face, started to get some work in the industry. The interview below explains a little more about Jeff's trials.

Jeff Pruitt is the reason that I myself am getting involved with stunt's and into the movie business. I asked him a few questions (and Sophia too) about how, who and what got them involved in stunt work. I think you will enjoy this interview.

19/01/2000

lotus: How old were you when you decided that you wanted to be in movies/stunt work ?

Jeff: Around 6

lotus: What made you decide that this was the career for you ?

Jeff: It just evolved from my watching TV and setting up and making my own little movies as a kid. That was how I played. I used to make a TV guide in which I kept track of all of the shows I was "producing". All had to do with wild stunts - 'of course'.

lotus: How hard was it to break into the stunt industry, and get recognized as someone proficient in your work ?

Jeff: Very tough. I spent the better part of the 80's trying to break through and only rarely finding work. It wasn't until the 90's that I started working all the time. When I first got to Hollywood I had every door slammed in my face. It turned out that a guy who had been a 2nd AD (Assistant Director) on a film I had worked on remembered me and my demo tape and gave me a job when he got his first directing gig in '89. His name is Steve Cohen. I credit him   with giving me my first real break.

lotus: Was there anyone that you looked up to for guidance, in becoming a stunt person? (ie another stunt person for example) Why ?

Jeff: I used to study the Harold Lloyd and Douglas Fairbanks silent films as a kid. Later on, after being influenced by Bruce Lee( as Kato in the GREEN HORNET) I was amazed to find Jackie Chan and his guys out imitating old Buster Keaton movies and combining silent film stunts with martial arts. That really hit home for me. I knew that was the direction I wanted to veer off in stunt-wise.

lotus: What was your break through into the industry. ?

Jeff: Pierre David and Kurt Anderson produced  a series of martial arts films that I choreographed and appeared in. That gave me a chance to try things in a way that was different from what was being done in other American fight movies at the time.

lotus: What was the first film/series you did stunt work on ?

Jeff: I appeared in the Chuck Norris movie INVASION USA and some low budget flicks in my home state of Georgia before finally heading off to Hollywood.

lotus: How did you meet Joss, and get the job for stunt Co-ordinator( and for sophia, how did you land leading stunt lady for SMG) on BTVS ?

Jeff: Sohpia worked on BUFFY during the first season. Joss had picked her because he liked the way she moved. I was doing movies and a TV series in Europe. When I came back into town Joss was looking for a new stunt Co-ordinator and his assistant recommended that he meet me. He told them that he wasn't interested in me because I was the guy who made POWER RANGERS famous and he didn't want to be compared to that. I met him and showed him some footage from my movies and explained to him how we could improve the fights on BUFFY. He went for it and we've been going strong ever since.

lotus: I have read a lot about you, and also spoken to a lot of people in the Bronze, they say that you and Joss have this thing, that in a scene something will happen, or it will look a particular way, and without a word, you will both (you and Joss) know that that particular scene needs something, or the fight didn't work properly. You both look at each other and without a word, the same idea to fix the scene comes to pay. Can you tell us a little bit about this ?

Jeff: We just like the same stuff, plus, I've worked hard at knowing the style he wants for BUFFY. When something is off I jump in and take care of it. He usually doesn't have to say a word. I already know what he wants. If something gets by me that he doesn't like, I beat myself up for days afterwards.

lotus: Sophia, you did a lot of work in Hong Kong, where you first started your stunting, tell us a little bit about that.

Sophia: I arrived in Hong Kong after back-packing through Asia. The movie industry was booming at that time and I was able to land work as the female villain in some action movies. I started training hard at stunts and martial arts and became a member of the FUNKY ACTION CREW stunt team headed by "Dai Do" Yukari Oshima. I did around 30-something films over a five year period before going to Hollywood.

lotus: Was there ever a time that you thought you couldn't do it? due to say, a bad film or an injury that put you out of work for quite some time?

Sophia: The pressure to be excellent was tough in Hong Kong because they have a high standard for martial arts action. But it definitely made me a better performer.

Jeff: I have broken bones over the years, but my worst injury was my first. I shattered my ankle in '85 and they thought I'd never walk without a limp. I trained for a year and came back stronger than ever though.

lotus: Any words of advice or encouragement for aspiring Stunt people out there?

Jeff:I'd say just make sure that you love what you are doing. The training and the work that goes into finding jobs too. If you are in it for the money or fame or any other reason then you will not last. The only ones who do are the ones who can't stand NOT to try it.

WOW!!

I would just like that thank Jeff and Sophia for taking the time out to answer my questions. I never really thought my e-mail would go through, but there you go.

Also you are invited to sign my guest book..