Diksha Sundriyal
In Prime Video’s ‘One Fast Move,’ motorcycle racing takes centerstage as we follow Wes Neal (played by KJ Apa), who seeks the guidance of his estranged father, Dean Miller (played by Eric Dane), to become a motorcycle racer. While their personal conflicts drive the plot of the film, a lot of scenes also pertain to actual racing and set the ground for some very exciting, adrenaline-fuelled sequences. Each race is meant to show Wes’ progression while also reflecting his state of mind at the time and feeding into his character growth. Considering who prominently racing features in the film, one can’t help but wonder if the actors actually do the riding or if it’s all stunt doubles. SPOILERS AHEAD
KJ Apa and Eric Dane Got to Ride Motorcycles for Several Scenes in the Movie
Described as a love letter to motorcycles by writer-director Kelly Blatz, ‘One Fast Move’ uses every scene to further the character growth of the protagonist and the people around him. Because riding is such an important part of the movie, actors KJ Apa and Eric Dane did get to film a few scenes riding motorcycles. However, when it comes to more difficult shots, especially the professional riding, it was left to the experts to film those scenes.
Blatz revealed that casting Apa was the first thing he did for the film. He saw the actor on a bike in a trailer of his film, ‘Songbird,’ and realized that he would be perfect for the role of Wes. At that point, Apa didn’t ride bikes. He had shown interest in it, but overall, “the world of motorcycles was completely foreign” to him. He revealed that he used to fantasize about being able to ride a bike but lacked the courage to pursue that dream. When Blatz sent him the script for ‘One Fast Move,’ the actor was immediately taken by the story. He also knew that he would finally have to learn to ride, so he spent a year preparing for the role and perfecting his ability to ride a bike, apart from refining the role by adding his own take to Wes’ background and story.
The actor, who has bought quite a few motorcycles for himself since then, said that he fell in love with riding motorcycles. Apart from actually learning how to ride, he also focused on his research by watching Moto GP races and talking to professional riders to have a better sense of his character’s mindset. On the other hand, Eric Dane had a lifelong passion for motorcycle riding and has been an enthusiast for years. According to Blatz, when Dane was first brought on set in full gear, he immediately took off on the bike, which shows how excited he was to bring his passion for motorcycles in his role as Dean.
Despite his passion for the sport, Dean doesn’t get to ride as much in the movie. Most of the riding is done by Wes, and reportedly, KJ Apa did a lot of his own scenes. However, for the faster sequences, especially the championships, professional riders were brought on set. Daytona 200 Champion Brandon Paasch and Horizon Award winner Brian Stokes doubled for Wes and Dean, respectively. To bring more realism to the biking scene in the movie, the filmmakers tried to make things look as real as possible. In the scenes featuring the championships, real riders were brought on set, which was constructed to look as close to a real racing track as possible.
Cameras were rigged to the motorcycles to get better angles while they raced. Sound devices were strapped on each vehicle’s engine to capture the unique sound of each vehicle’s engine. This shows that the filmmakers were dedicated to making the whole experience come alive on the screen as realistically as possible, and they did a great job of it.
Read More: One Fast Move: Are Wes Neal and Dean Miller Based on Real Motorbike Racers?
