Motorcycle stunt work in Hollywood was Will’s passion until injuries forced him out of the business. His life bottomed out when a drug habit landed him in jail.
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Reporter: VETERAN
HOLLYWOOD STUNTMAN WILL
HARPER HAS ALWAYS HAD A NEED
FOR SPEED.
THERE IS JUST AN
EXCITEMENT TO IT.
MAYBE FOR SOME PEOPLE, THEY
WOULD JUST GETTER FID GET
TERRIFIED, BUT THE WAY I'M
WIRED, IT JUST FEELS GOOD.
IT'S EXHILARATING.
Reporter: AS A
TEENAGER, HE STARTED RACING
MOTOCROSS.
BY THE TIME I WAS 18, I
HAD ACTUALLY WON A PRO
CHAMPIONSHIP LOCALLY HERE IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
I FELT LIKE I WAS ON MY
WAY.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID,
MAN, YOU'RE GOING TO BE WORD
CHAMP.
YOU'VE GOT IT.
IT WAS A SENSE OF
ACCOMPLISHMENT.
I THINK I WANTED TO DO IT
BETTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE.
I WANTED TO BE SOMEBODY.
Reporter: RACING TOOK A
TOLL ON HIS BODY, AND
INJURIES FORCED HIM TO
RETIRE AT THE AGE OF 25.
I WAS ANGRY AT GOD.
THIS ISN'T FAIR.
IT'S NOT RIGHT.
I TRIED SO HARD AND I HAD SO
MUCH PROMISE.
AND IT WAS JUST DASHED ON
THE ROCKS.
Reporter: AROUND THIS
TIME, A FRIEND OFFERED HIM
WORK DOING MOTORCYCLE STUNTS
IN MOVIES AND TELEVISION.
I STILL HAD GOOD SKILLS.
I DIDN'T HAVE TO WIN A
RACE.
I QUICKLY BECAME A TOP
STUNTMAN IN HOLLYWOOD.
I DOUBLED FOR SYLVESTER
STALLONE IN "RAMBO."
Reporter: WHILE WORKING
ON "THE RIVER" WITH MEL
GIBSON, HE FOUND HOW
DANGEROUS STUNT WORK REALLY
WAS.
I JUMP UP TO GO AFTER
MEL, AND THE GUY NEXT TO HIM
WAS SUPPOSED TO THROW ME
OFF.
SIX STUNT GUYS ARE RUNNING
TO CATCH ME.
I BOUNCED OFF ONE OF THEM,
AND I GO RIGHT UNDER THE
TRUCK, AND IT SOUNDED LIKE
DRIED TWIGS SNAPPING.
IT WAS HORRIBLE.
I KNEW I WAS DEAD.
Reporter: AMAZINGLY,
WILL SURVIVED.
BUT NOW TOO BANGED UP TO DO
STUNTS, HE NEEDED SOMETHING
TO GIVE HIM PURPOSE.
SO HE STARTED RACING STOCK
CARS.
HE ALSO MARRIED, AND HE AND
HIS WIFE STARTED A
CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS.
AT THIS POINT, I THOUGHT,
OKAY, MAYBE IF I'M RICH, IF
I MAKE A BUNCH OF MONEY,
I'LL BE HAPPY.
Reporter: HE SOON FOUND
OUT THAT MONEY WASN'T
ENOUGH.
A DARKNESS CAME INTO MY
LIFE.
MY OLDER BROTHER DIED, 40
YEARS OLD.
AND MY RACING JUST TANKED.
MY FIRST WIFE, SHE AND I
WERE INVOLVED WITH THE
CONSTRUCTION, BUT I DIDN'T
REALLY LIKE HER, I DIDN'T
LIKE CONSTRUCTION, I DIDN'T
LIKE ANYTHING.
Reporter: SEARCHING FOR
ANSWERS, HE WENT TO A FRIEND
TO TALK THINGS OUT.
HIS FRIEND SMOKED CRACK, AND
AFTER A FEW YEARS, WILL MADE
A FATEFUL DECISION.
I SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT,
GIVE ME THAT PIPE.
HE SAID, YOU DON'T WANT TO
DO THAT.
I SAID, GIVE IT TO ME.
IT WAS LIKE A ROCKETSHIP TO
THE MOON.
UNFORTUNATELY WITH THAT,
THEN YOU'RE IN A FREE
FALLING HELL.
IN THE MATTER OF SIX MONTHS,
I DIDN'T HAVE A WIFE, I
DIDN'T HAVE TWO RACE CARS, A
HOUSE, OR ANYTHING.
Reporter: FOR THE NEXT
10 YEARS, WILL USED AND SOLD
CRACK.
HE ALSO REMARRIED.
BUT HE STARTED USING AND
SELLING CRYSTAL METH, AND
THE POLICE TOOK NOTICE.
I HAD A PREMONITION WE
WERE GOING TO GET BUSTED.
I LEFT THE HOUSE, AND MY
WIFE WENT BACK, AND I SAID,
DON'T GO BACK, WE'RE GETTING
BUSTED.
SHE WENT BACK, AND SHE GOT
ARRESTED, AND OUR BABY,
WILL, HE GOT INTO PROTECTED
CUSTODY.
I'M HIDING OUT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
THEY'VE GOT HER AND THEY'VE
GOT MY BABY, AND THEY'RE
LOOKING FOR ME.
Reporter: WHILE RIDING
IN A FRIEND'S CAR, WILL SAYS
HE HAD A VISION.
I COULD SEE MYSELF AT
WOODSIDE MARKET, JUST LIKE
I'M WATCHING A VIDEO.
AND I'M GETTING ARRESTED.
AND I'M STANDING THERE WITH
ALL OF THESE COPS AROUND.
Reporter: WILL KNEW THE
VISION CAME FROM GOD.
GOD IS THE ONLY ONE WHO
TRULY KNOWS THE FUTURE.
I TOLD THE GIRL, I SAID,
JUST GO TO THE WOODSIDE
MARKET.
IF I GET ARRESTED HOW I TOLD
YOU, THAT'S GOD'S ANSWER FOR
ME.
THE VERY FIRST CAR THAT
DROVE BY WAS THE VALLEY
COUNTY SHERIFF.
HE LOOKED ME RIGHT IN THE
EYES AND PULLED IN THERE.
AND THE NEXT THING I KNOW,
I'M HANDCUFFED AND ALL OF
THESE COPS ARE THERE, AND
I'M SEEING THE EXACT SCENE
THAT I'VE SEEN IN MY MIND.
Reporter: WILL FACED A
100-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE.
BY NOW, HE AND HIS WIFE WERE
DIVORCED.
BUT HE KNEW THAT SOMEHOW GOD
HAD A PURPOSE IN HIS
ARREST.
YOU KNOW, GOD, I ALWAYS
BELIEVED IN YOU, BUT I NEVER
THOUGHT YOU WERE QUITE THIS
PERSONAL.
AND I SAID, JUST TELL ME
WHAT TO DO.
YOU KNOW THOSE "NO VACANCY"
SIGNS THAT FLASH, I COULD
SEE THAT IN MY HEAD GOING,
READ THE BIBLE.
READ THE BIBLE.
Reporter: FOR FOUR
MONTHS WILL STUDIED THE
BIBLE.
AND ONE DAY...
I WAS READING ABOUT JESUS
ON THE CROSS.
AND HE JUST DIED.
AND THIS IS THE SON OF GOD.
AND RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT, I
JUST BURST INTO TEARS.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I GOT
BORN AGAIN, SAVED RIGHT
THERE ON THE SPOT.
I KNEW WHO JESUS REALLY
WAS.
IT WASN'T JUST WORDS.
I HAD AN UNDERSTANDING OF
THE BIBLE.
I WENT FROM HATING IT TO
LOVING IT.
Reporter: WILL WAS
DISCIPLED BY A LOCAL PASTOR
WHO WORKED WITH INMATES.
ALSO, THE JUDGE REDUCED HIS
SENTENCE TO JUST TWO AND A
HALF YEARS.
IT WAS SO OVERWHELMING,
AND I FELT FREE FOR THE
FIRST TIME.
Reporter: HE WAS
RELEASED ON PAROLE, AND HE
CALLED HIS BROTHER, TOM, WHO
WAS ALSO IN THE FILM
INDUSTRY.
THE TWO HADN'T SPOKEN IN
YEARS.
TODAY, IF YOU WANT TO,
YOU CAN COME WORK ON "IRON
MAN 2," IF IT IS OKAY WITH
YOUR P.O.
AND I ASKED AND HE SAID IT
WAS ALL RIGHT.
Reporter: WILL STILL
WORKS ON MOVIES WITH HIS
BROTHER.
IN TIME, HE RECONCILED WITH
HIS SON.
AND NOW THE THRILLS AND HIS
PURPOSE COME FROM A
DIFFERENT SOURCE.
DON'T GET ME WRONG, THE
STUNT BUSINESS IS
INCREDIBLE.
IT IS EXCITING.
THE MOTORCYCLES, IT IS ALL
EXCITING.
BUT IT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO
WORKING FOR GOD.
WORKING FOR THE CREATOR OF
THE UNIVERSE, IT'S A
PRIVILEGE AND AN HONOR, BUT,
TO ME, IT JUST DOES
SOMETHING INSIDE MY HEART.
WHEN I GOT BORN AGAIN, AND I
ACCEPTED JESUS AS MY LORD
AND SAVIOR, UP TO THAT POINT
IT SEEMED LIKE EVERYTHING
THAT COULD POSSIBLY GO
WRONG, WENT WRONG IN MY
LIFE.
AND NOW I'M EXCITED ABOUT
LIFE.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A SAVIOR
MAKES.