Casey Hudecki – Sudden Master

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) my biggest project is coming out January 2016, I’ll be having a baby. So, I haven’t been doing a lot of stunts recently, but I’ve been teaching stage combat pretty much consistently since I got pregnant. I’ve had a lot of students in the Fall. If anyone wants to learn about what I do on “Sudden Master,” they should check out my website and come train with me.

Q) How did you originally become a stunt actor?

A) I started as an actor and started taking stage combat classes and fell in love. I started when I was about sixteen years old, which was fairly early. Then, you get to a point where you think the most logical way to continue doing this was to start teaching it. Then, you get to a certain level and start applying it to television.

Q) Samantha Wan recently told us that she sought you out to be a part of “Sudden Master.” How did that make you feel?

A) We met shooting The Devil’s Mile and we hit it off really well. So, she told me about this Kung Fu series she was pitching and I was over the moon. She said, “I was thinking of you for the villain,” and I said, “Yes, yes! Please!” I’m a huge fan of Kung Fu movies and to play a villain is something I don’t get to do very much. So, I was super excited.

Q) How was your character, Vienna Erikson, originally described to you?

A) I think what I loved about it was the way Sam wrote a full character. She wasn’t just an “evil villain.” She was a broken person that made some bad choices that led her down a violent path. That interested me a lot. She wasn’t just a two dimensional character, “the villain.” She had some history with the school and with Kung Fu. I was really intrigued by all of that.

Q) What were some of your most memorable from filming the series?

A) I think I sort of had to trek through a bunch of snow storms to work with our stunt coordinator, Alan Tang and train with Sam. We did a lot of fight rehearsals and we had a lot of fun. I gave myself the challenge of working with a chain and I don’t really work with a lot of flexible weapons. I really wanted to master it and Alan Tang had a lot of choreography to give me. It was a struggle and I hit myself in the face a lot, but it was ultimately really cool to master that weapon skill-set. Then, once we were shooting, because we were so well rehearsed it was a pleasure to get on set and do the fights quickly. I think we worked pretty efficiently.

Q) What do you think it is about the series that has made it such a fan favorite?

A) I think there is very little Kung Fu web stuff out there. It’s very, very hard to produce and it is a lot of rehearsals so you do need a well trained cast, a good choreographer and a crew that can shoot efficiently because usually fights take two to three times to shoot than drama. That’s even ambitious! They take a lot longer to shoot. I think that is one thing and Sam and Richard [Young] wrote a really good script that combines the heart of Alex’s journey with the comedy of it. They don’t shy away with how silly, difficult and awkward a lot of the moments are and I think that’s a draw, too.

Q) How does it feel to continue to be recognized for your work on “Lost Girl?”

A) “Lost Girl” was phenomenal for me. I got to work with them pretty much from the beginning off and on and quite a bit near the end. You won’t see most of what I do on “Lost Girl” as Anna’s [Silk] stunt double, but I do get to play a role there as well. I’m so grateful for my experience on “Lost Girl” and it also introduced me to Alan Tang who was the stunt coordinator on “Sudden Master.” So, it’s given me great contacts and I’ve learned so much from Anna and the crew.  And the “Lost Girl” fans are the best! They are so sweet, lovely and loyal. So, I’ve been really grateful for them.

Q) If someone was looking to get into stage combat and stunt acting, what advice would you give them?

A) They should come train with me! I run a fighting for film class at Rapier Wit in Toronto. So, they should come train with me. A stunt person can be so many things. My focus is choreography so I do fight choreography. I haven’t done a lot of high falls, body burns or car hits. That’s another specialty you can have. If you have a special skill like gymnastics or horseback riding you can be that kind of stunt person. There are so many different ways to get into stunts and so many different elements of stunt performance. I would suggest that if they are interested in stunt choreography that they learn a bit of acting as well because your performance of the pain and faking the violence is important. Also, you have to have a lot of control. You have to be able to not hit the lead of the show when you are fighting them. Come train with me!

Q) Is there anything you want to be sure we share with “Sudden Master” fans?

A) They should watch it, they should share it and they should tell us what they think. I’d love to know what they think of the fights. It’s pretty great to have two girls as nemeses on it so I really enjoyed fighting Sam. I hope people liked that and want more of it.

Q) You are nine months pregnant. How are you still so energized and up for teaching stunt training?

A) It’s gotten a bit harder, but I think you can limit yourself mentally by telling yourself you can’t do something or you can free yourself. I’ve made a few limitations about what I should and shouldn’t do. As long as it is safe for the baby, I’ve kept up staying physical and I’ve been really lucky.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) I love being on social media and interacting with people! I love it because they are across the world. I have people I’m getting to know in France, Germany and in the states. That’s just such a great way to sort of make it a small world and let people connect about things they love, globally. I think it is a great tool and it is certainly very gratifying for me to hear from people who like my work.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I would love to just thank them and hope they would keep tuning in to whatever I do next. We’ll see what that is. I think I’ll have to take a bit of a break, but they are a loyal awesome group of people. They love the things that I love, which is great. We’re all the same that way. Also, check out my website http://www.caseyhudecki.com!