Supervising stunt coordinator Cory DeMeyers reveals secrets behind all the crazy stunts in Season 4 of The Righteous Gemstones.
A Union army sneak attack. Jetpack pageantry. Pole dancing accidents. These are just a few of the sequences supervising stunt coordinator Cory DeMeyers took on for The Righteous Gemstones Season 4.
The HBO comedy series opened with its most ambitious episode to date: the Civil War-set “Prelude,” starring a certain 12-time Academy Award nominee as one of the Gemstones’ conniving Confederate ancestors.
“The Civil War episode stood out to me immediately because of everything that was involved,” said DeMeyers. “It’s not every day you get to do period action like that. That was something I’ve never been a part of on that scale. It was something I was really excited to dig in and start working out for Danny [McBride], who directed that episode.”
The Righteous Gemstones has always been a stunt-heavy show with its unique blend of humor, action, and drama. While last season had monster trucks, this season has Uncle Baby Billy (Walton Goggins) naked on a jet ski.
“I found out from our double [for Goggins] that when you try to do barefoot water skiing, it creates a rooster tail of water shooting up in an area that’s uncomfortable,” laughed DeMeyers. “Walton is an expert-level water skier on his own. So we had to bring someone in to match his level of skill.”
Watch my whole conversation with DeMeyers below, where we discuss how the cast dealt with wearing jetpacks, finding a pole dancing trainer for Tim Baltz, and working with Bradley Cooper.