The Christian Broadcasting Network

Browse Videos

Share Email

Hollywood Stuntman Falls Flat on His Face

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. Read Transcript


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.

EMBED THIS VIDEO


CBN.com | Do You Know Jesus? | Privacy Notice | Prayer Requests | Support CBN | Contact Us | Feedback
© 2012 Christian Broadcasting Network