Veteran stuntman and SAG member Mike Massa, who most recently doubled Harrison Ford on “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” sent a dramatic message to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers by lighting himself on fire while holding a “SAG-AFTRA on Strike” sign at a rally in Atlanta on Monday.
“We are tired of being burned by the AMPTP,” read the caption on the video that was shared to his and stuntwoman Elena Sanchez’s Instagram accounts. A man was positioned behind Massa on the stage to safely put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
In a second post, the German-born stunt performer wrote, “We wanted to make a statement and I think we did! It was great to see such a great turnout from our local Stunt community, local leadership, and actors who showed up to support us.”
Massa has been nominated for several Taurus statuettes at the World Stunt Awards, winning in 2004 for the Venice boat chase in “The Italian Job.” He also collected SAG stunt ensemble awards for his work on HBO’s “True Blood” and the 2010 feature “Star Trek.”
In a separate news clip shared by Sanchez, the crowd booed when she repeated the studios’ claims that actors, unlike producers, don’t “bear any of the risks” of production. “The AMPTP is opposed to us sharing the rewards of a successful show because we don’t bear any of the risks. Excuse me?” she said angrily.
“Tell that to my friend John who lost his life working on one of your TV shows,” she said as she choked up. “Tell that to any of us in this room who have literally broken bones and bled for you.”
