Interview with Brahim Achabakkhe

Greetings, fellow Space Cadets, I have a very special interview for you today.  Today, we have stuntman/actor Brahim Achabakkhe answering a few questions for us.  Mr. Achabakkhe is a stuntman who has done stunt-work for movies like The Scorpion King 3Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, Tekken: Kazuya’s Revenge(He was also the fight choreographer for this film)and Dragon Blade.  He has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including Jackie Chan and doubled for actors like Scott Adkins and Jean-Claude Van Damme.  As an actor, he has had some small roles in films like Man of Tai Chi, Dragonwolf, Kill ’em All, and Tekken: Kazuya’s Revenge.  His first real big starring role came in the form of Boyka: Undisputed 4, when he starred opposite Scott Adkins in the role of the vicious MMA fighter, Igor Kazmir.  Let’s have a chat with Brahim Achabakkhe!

Before we get into Boyka: Undisputed 4, I would like to get a little background into your experience as a stuntman.  How did you get into the business and what was your first big project that got you noticed?

As a teenager I was practicing different martial arts and also gymnastic. After high school, I went into Law school for a year but I felt that was not gonna be the career I wanted to pursue and I also did not have the money to pay for books or the school. So I told myself well you can do all those martial arts and flip so why not pursue your passion and try to make it in the movie industry as a stuntman. So with a few friends in France we started doing tv shows, live shows and one day we took a trip to Thailand to cast for Ong Bak 2. When we came to Bangkok, it was like the mecca of martial arts movies so many talented people were already on the spot trying to get into the movies. It was basically the new Hong Kong like when back in the 80’s 90’s you had all those foreigners working as stunt actors in the HK action movie industry. All my friends left after the casting and I stayed even though I did not book anything on Ong Bak 2. My instinct told me it was the right choice so I started working in the local action film industry in 2007 doing commercials and films. I did everything that I was getting offered to make a living and also to make a name for myself. In 2012  a producer and casting director called Mike Leeder asked me to send him my demo reel for the film Man of tai chi directed by Keanu Reeves. That’s after booking this project that I felt things were going in the right path for me. Acting, stunting, stunt coordinating and fight coordinating has been my only jobs since 2007 and I am glad I followed my instinct to follow my dreams. 

How many styles of the martial arts have you studied and is there a particular style that you would like to explore?

I studied a lot of different styles like Aikido, Karate wado ryu or even BJJ. The thing I do is I do not go into 1 style and try to focus myself only on it. I take the best out of everyone of them and use it for my own style on screen. So if you ask me what is my favorite style honestly I do not have one, I can say I am known to use my legs a lot but if you want me to be a wrestler, a muay thai fighter or a krav maga kind of guy, I can portray that on camera cause I learn enough to be able to make myself believable on screen cause this is what I choose to learn martial arts for, the beauty of the technique on screen. 

For Man of Tai Chi, Keanu Reeves has a pretty good eye for shooting the action.  What was it like working with Keanu and did he listen to any suggestions that you may have had?
Working with Keanu was an amazing experience and I am glad Mike Leeder brought me on board of the project. Keanu is the most humble actor I ever worked with and he treats everyone equal. I can’t remember making any suggestions to him but he did give me some great directions when we were shooting that I remember. 
For Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, you were a stunt double for Scott Adkins.  What was it like working with him and did the two of you exchange ideas on how to approach certain stunts?

Scott is a great guy and very down to earth. I really enjoyed working with him during Ninja shadow of a tear.  Scott at first was not using any stunt double during the shoot cause honestly Scott can do all the stunts by himself that is how talented he is. He’s got a great agility and flexibility. Unfortunately during the shooting, he hurt quite badly his back which stopped him from performing some of the stunts. I was in Tim Man stunt team for the film from pre production and since I can do the kind of action Scott is known for, I was chosen to double him for some of his action during the shooting. I would mostly rehearse the action for him and then he would perform it. We got along really well and kept in touch. I am glad I call him a friend today.  

Now that Boyka: Undisputed 4 is available to the public, how did you become involved with the project?
I was working in Thailand on Never back down no surrender at the time they were doing pre production on Undisputed 4. Tim Man messaged me asking me when I would be wrapped and if I was interested in playing one of the characters in the film. They were looking for someone who would be muscular yet can perform martial arts and acrobatics in the tradition of the Undisputed films. I think Isaac agreed to have me, then Scott agreed too. I started immediately training and eating more to stay in shape. A day after I wrapped Never Back Down I was on a plane to Sofia Bulgaria to shoot. 
How did you approach the character of Igor Kazmir?
I watched a lot of different UFC fighters behavior and how they would talk or interact during press conferences or interviews. Then when I read the script,I chose to make him completely different from Boyka. I made him really arrogant and cocky. I thought be doing this, it would made my character unique and different from any other Undisputed characters. 
The fight scene between your character and Scott Adkins’ Boyka is one of the best fight scenes I’ve seen in a long time.  What was it like to work with Scott in front of the camera this time around?
Thank you,it was simply a dream come true. I always been this huge fan of the Undisputed serie. Acting opposite of Scott in this part was the highlight of my young career and I hope there will be other opportunities for me in front of the camera in similar roles. I love working with Scott. He is the most physical martial art actor working today. 
Tim Man served as the fight choreographer on the film as well as having a fight scene with Scott.  Did you help with some of the choreography and how open was Tim Man to suggestions?
Tim and I go back a long way. I use to email him when I was 16 years old can you believe that. He has been very good to me and he made my career where it is today. He taught me most of what I know about editing, choreography and action design. Tim is an amazing fight choreographer so I really did not need to help him or give him any suggestions cause his choreography is simply on point and tailor made for who he choreographs for. I see a great future for Tim as a second unit director and later on as a director. His work on Undisputed 4 was amazing. 
Scott Adkins has gone on record about how damaging film piracy is to low-budget and independent films and has spoken out against it.  I definitely agree with him and I feel that Undisputed 4 is well worth every penny and should not be stolen.  Is there anything you would like to add to what Scott has said?
As Scott said this piracy nonsense is destroying the low budget and independent film industry. It is getting harder for producers to make money with this genre so it’s slowly dying. We get 18 days sometimes to shoot this kind of films I mean imagine the stress and how fast you have to shoot with such a small schedule. Star wars fans support the genre and buy the films that’s why they keep on coming but the Low budget fans are shooting themselves in the foot by downloading the films because soon they won’t be made anymore. So the fans need to read this and think about supporting us in our quest to make good action films on a reasonable budget. 
Last question:  What is your favorite martial arts movie and why?
The Way of the Dragon with Bruce Lee. Cause of the amazing end fight in the collosseum against Chuck Norris
I would like to thank Brahim Achabakkhe for taking time out of his schedule to answer some questions, and I wish him the best of luck in the future.  I can’t wait to see what he’s got coming next.  Boyka: Undisputed 4 is currently available on Blu-Ray/DVD and is also available for digital download.  Please support the film buy obtaining it legally and paying for it so more movies like this can be made in the future.  Thank you all for reading and I can’t wait to bring you guys another fantastic interview.
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