David Holmes, the stunt double for Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter films, was paralysed while filming the Deathly Hallows when a stunt went horrifically wrong. His condition is also degenerative. This is his story, emphatically not as a victim looking for sympathy, but as a survivor, an advocate for stunt performers and for disability awareness.
After describing the accident which changed his life, Holmes divides the memoir into two parts. The first is about his earlier years, including his gymnastics and then a path into a stunt career. There are plenty of anecdotes about what it was like to work with the Harry Potter cast and behind the scenes information on how the stunts were done. He acknowledges many times that it’s a dangerous career and that stunts people know the risks. Injuries were common, such as bruises and cracked ribs, but they were expected to get on with it. The second part is about the effect of the accident on his physical and mental health, on the people around him, his daily experience as a paralysed man, and the projects he has got into since. The memoir is brutally honest, yet an inspiring and powerful read.
Audiobook narrated by the author. Published by Hodder & Stoughton, 2024.