Drama alumnus Timothy Eulich’s bold leap into a thrilling stunt career

A car careens down a pedestrian-filled sidewalk. A punch is thrown. Someone defies gravity. “These moments of action feel like drama made dynamic,” says Timothy Eulich (B.F.A. Drama ’03). “I have always been drawn to the part of the story where the characters can no longer solve their differences through words alone. They have no choice but to break into action.” Eulich, who works as an action director and stunt coordinator for film and television, is an expert in his field, having cultivated both skills and a robust network of industry connections over the last twenty years. 

His credits are vast, spanning many genres and styles of entertainment: “Stranger Things” (for which he won a Screen Actors Guild award), “Jurassic World,” “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” “Tenent” and “Young Sheldon,” to name a few. In 2023, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” won seven Academy Awards — including Best Picture. Eulich served as stunt coordinator on the film, bringing full circle his early love of films that blend action and comedy. 

Developing a love of physical storytelling

As a child, Eulich loved storytelling on the silver screen. “All my favorite movies had action in them,” he recalls, citing Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone as actors whose work he admired. Chan, in particular, carefully incorporated comedy and humor into even his most intricate action sequences. Eulich was later inspired by the dark humor found in many of Quentin Tarantino’s action-packed films.

“There seemed to be two career options that aligned with my interests: acting or directing,” says Eulich, who grew up in St. Louis and had never met a stunt person. Though he considered the UNCSA School of Filmmaking, he ultimately found himself in the Drama program where he was immediately drawn to classes exploring physical performance. Physical acting came more naturally to him, though he’s careful not to discredit the complete curriculum: “Some of the more head-focused courses where I was breaking down scriptwork… that type of class has significantly aided me in my career, particularly as a stunt designer,” says Eulich. “I’m very grateful for those courses.”

But he was most energized by mask classes and stage combat. “I loved learning to tell physically violent stories in a safe way, and how to convey the illusion of violence to an audience,” remembers Eulich. “I had been wanting to do this for so long… but I just didn’t know it!” His instructor offered optional lunchtime stage combat sessions, and he never missed one. During his fourth year, Eulich began assisting with lower-level stage combat courses. “Being able to do it and do it well was one thing,” says Eulich. “But the next level of that is being able to break it down and explain it to somebody else.” By the time he graduated, he could do both very well.

Breaking down stunt performance

After graduation, however, Eulich lacked confidence that stunts could be a realistic career path. He moved to New York City to pursue acting work. When he met a few stuntmen and stuntwomen at his gym, a spark was ignited. He began working on small projects performing stunts and soon dedicated all of his time, energy and resources into making his dream career happen.

“My goal was always to be a stunt coordinator or director,” says Eulich. “I wanted to design the stunts.” Stunt doubling (performing stunts for a lead actor) and stunt performing (an individual role that requires the actor to perform a stunt) came first. Upon moving to Los Angeles, Eulich was able to draw from his UNCSA training and establish himself as a go-to stunt actor in town. He had a wide stunt skillset (gymnastics, driving, martial arts, etc.), but the character work was equally as important. “A CIA operative fights very differently than a college kid in a bar,” explains Eulich. Each role provided a new challenge to develop the character alongside the action.

Each role also brought high physical demands, challenges and risks. Eulich recalls his performance in a Battles music video being particularly grueling, during which he falls down an escalator for the nearly four minute-long video (which required 13 hours of filming).

Knowing that it wasn’t sustainable to perform stunts long-term, Eulich was intentional about his shift from performer to coordinator. “Any time I was on set around colleagues I would express interest, and I would do more than was expected of me — always,” he says. “I showed up and always did my best, and that did not go unnoticed.” He was able to parlay one of his specialities (fighting) into jobs choreographing and designing fight sequences for other stunt coordinators. His demand grew from there.

Designing and coordinating stunts

“Performing stunts is hard on your body and it doesn't matter who you are… at some point you're going to get hurt,” says Eulich, who suffered from a bad concussion a few years ago. At the time, his work was 80% coordinating and 20% performing. “I realized that 20% was holding me back from taking it to the next level as a coordinator and action director,” he says. It was then that he made the decision to stop performing entirely.

This shift paved the way for one of his most memorable stunt coordination experiences: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” gave him the opportunity to reunite with filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (who together directed the Battles music video above). “Their aesthetic and the energy they put into their films is incredible to me,” says Eulich. “They juxtapose juvenile humor with heartfelt and touching scenes… it’s funny, sad and beautiful. I wanted to be a part of anything they were doing.” 

One such humorous scene, dubbed the “fanny pack fight,” sealed the deal with Eulich’s involvement in the film. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he describes the sequence (the first fight in the film) as a pivotal moment for character development and a prime example of comedy perfectly paired with violence. The movements are quick, efficient and disarming… the weapon of choice is a fanny pack. This first fight sets the tone for many of the fights to come.

“When I read that fight I knew I had to be part of this movie,” says Eulich.

Though Eulich describes his work as fun, it is not without challenge. A recent example is his stunt coordination on the SHOWTIME series “The Curse.” The season finale includes an illusion (created through stunt work) that needed to be maintained for over 30 minutes of screentime — an incredibly long time in the stunt world. Given the nature of the stunt, Eulich rigorously tested the conditions with his crew before determining that actors could film for only 90 seconds at a time to maintain good health and safety. “It was definitely more of a technical challenge,” says Eulich, “and one that required a lot of time and energy to overcome.”

Editor’s Note: No spoilers here! Read about the season finale of “The Curse” and see how Eulich helped the actors unnervingly defy gravity here.

The road ahead

“It’s important to me that I choose projects that have potential for some sort of impact,” says Eulich. “There’s so much work that we do that ends up in the void of streaming algorithms. When I choose projects, there needs to be some relevance and sustainability. I want my work to stick with an audience for an extended period of time.”

The ability to be selective with the work he accepts is a position that has been hard-earned over Eulich’s career. He now has the ability to accept projects that interest him, turn down projects that aren’t a great fit, and pass along work to other stunt performers or coordinators as needed.

It’s important to me that I’m excited about going to work so that I can show up and be my best self.

Timothy Eulich

“It’s important to me that I’m excited about going to work so that I can show up and be my best self,” explains Eulich. The days are long, and the work can be grinding, exhausting and sometimes unhealthy. “I know what I’m getting into and I know if I’m going to put myself and my family through it, it has to be something I really believe in.”

Looking ahead, Eulich is excited about his upcoming projects. “Nightbitch” will premiere in December 2024, and “Eddington” is set for a 2025 release. “I have been building relationships with some of my favorite filmmakers and people I’ve dreamed of working with for a long time,” says Eulich. As he continues making new art, he hopes the stunt industry will continue to be recognized for its contributions to filmmaking. “It’s an artform in itself, and it’s an integral brushstroke in the overall canvas of the cinematic story that’s being told,” says Eulich. We agree.

By Hannah Callaway

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