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Buffalo Grove High grad's stuntman job 'like recess all day long'

He can leap from tall buildings in a single bound.

He's more powerful than a villain's loco motive.

And if you catch Hollywood stuntman Chris Brewster in action, you'll swear he's faster than a speeding bullet.

You've seen this Buffalo Grove High School grad and former Harper College student many times in movies and on TV shows. You just didn't know it.

Brewster has performed stunts in more than 150 TV shows and feature films, among them "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Thor: The Dark World," "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "Bones."

He was the stunt double for star Chris Evans in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," most memorably during that supercharged fight scene inside a glass-encased elevator.

Brewster also brings his amazing physical prowess to the new Netflix series "Marvel's Daredevil" starting Friday, April 10. The Marvel Comics-inspired series, developed by Drew Goddard, will be the forerunner for an upcoming "Defenders" crossover miniseries.

In "Daredevil," Brewster serves as a stunt double for star Charlie Cox, playing a lawyer who becomes a vigilante crime stopper by night.

"I love my work," Brewster said. "Any other job in the world would feel like a job. Doing stunts is like I'm at recess all day long."

Not bad for a kid who started martial arts training at the age of 4 after watching the cartoon TV series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

To understand how Brewster became a martial arts world champion and one of the most sought-after stuntmen in Hollywood, consider his parents.

His mom Valerie lives in Schaumburg and works as a personal trainer after careers as a dancer and a teacher of gymnastics and dance.

His dad David lives in Connecticut and works as a cosmetics chemist and real estate agent. But he kept a secret identity for 12 years, which is why Brewster refers to him as "Clark Kent."

"My dad always struck me as Mr. Businessman," Brewster said. "He went to work every day. He wore glasses. His hair was perfectly combed. He always wore a suit and tie. He always carried a brief case."

At 12, Brewster had a tough time learning how to do a back flip in his backyard. Dad came out and offered to help.

"I was a cocky kid and I said, 'What do you know about it?'" Brewster recalled.

Then Dad executed a perfect back flip.

"He was a regional champion gymnast in college. He just never bothered to mention that," Brewster said. "I had no idea my dad was a super athlete. That explained him doing goofy things like walking up and down the stairs on his hands, which regular dads don't tend to do."

Then young Brewster took up boxing, and Dad offered a practice round.

"I was an arrogant teenager," the buffed, brawny Brewster said. "I told him, 'Gee, Dad, I don't want to hurt you!'"

Dad said, "Take it easy with me" just before he mopped the floor with his son.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Dad said, consoling his young sparring partner. "I was a boxer all through college."

"He would always do what I did, plus one," Brewster said. "When I did 75 pushups, he did 76. When I could do 25 pullups, Dad did 26. I never knew if I needed to do just one more or 1,000 more to beat him. Drove me nuts!"

Yet, it spurred him on. Among his other inspirations: John Sharkey, Naperville's legendary martial arts trainer who coached not only Brewster but Naperville natives Craig Henningsen and Matt Mullins into sports championships and careers as stuntmen.

Brewster remembered executing his most challenging stunt in the 2011 remake of the 1985 vampire thriller "Fright Night." Brewster was a stunt double for star Anton Yelchin. During a climactic confrontation with Colin Farrell's vampire, Brewster donned protective gear and was set on fire.

"It was a full five-minute fight, and I was on fire for the entire time," Brewster said. "It was my first time doing a full-body fire burn. It was adrenaline-packed."

Brewster said even though he's worked with a lot of Hollywood stars, he's never been star-struck. Except once.

On the 2010 comedy "The Spy Next Door," he worked with Jackie Chan, whom he considers the world's greatest action star.

"I was speechless," Brewster said, "just standing there with a silly grin on my face. But I got to do a fight scene with Jackie Chan, and it was amazing!"

- Dann Gire

If you know a suburbanite in show biz who would make a good story, contact Jamie Sotonoff at jsotonoff@dailyherald.com or Dann Gire at dgire@dailyherald.com.

In the short-lived TV series “The Cape,” Buffalo Grove High School grad and former Harper College student Chris Brewster, foreground, runs to avoid an explosion.
Former Buffalo Grove resident Chris Brewster served as the stunt double for star Chris Evans in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”
Buffalo Grove High School grad and Hollywood stuntman Chris Brewster demonstrates a move called “flying squirrel.”
Actor Charlie Cox plays Matt Murdock in the Netflix Original Series “Marvel's Daredevil,” debuting April 10. Buffalo Grove High School grad Chris Brewster provides stunts for the series.

'Daredevil' the 'coolest'

Ask Hollywood stuntman and former Buffalo Grove resident Chris Brewster about his new Netflix series “Marvel's Daredevil,” and he practically lapses into fanboy mode.

“The action on 'Daredevil' will far surpass anything in any TV show or film I've ever worked on,” he said.

Why?

“'Daredevil' is one of the coolest characters ever,” Brewster effused. “I cannot stress how amazing (star) Charlie Cox is! He's the nicest human being on the planet. Then, he transforms into the perfect hero, and he'll blow people away.”

Anything else?

“I've worked on movies shooting for six months or more,” Brewster said. “At the end, there might be two or three big action sequences. Every episode of 'Daredevil' is shot in nine days and has more action than any feature-length movie ever.”

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