Martial arts expert Stephen Oyoung developed a love of acting as a child, but with his career heading down the path of stunts and fight choreography, a seemingly impossible mission to find his own roles would take some serious self-confidence. Now starring in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, Oyoung tells M&F how self-belief and the watchful eye of his hero, Tom Cruise, has proven that hard work really does pay off.
Breaking through the limitations of typecasting in Hollywood can be a real hindrance, says Stephen Oyoung, who learned the Chinese martial art of Washu from his father, and went on to use his skills on set. As a stunt performer, Oyoung earned an enviable reputation in films like Deadpool and Olympus Has Fallen, and he even trained Keanu Reeves, Denzel Washington, and Adam Driver for 47 Ronin, but convincing casting agents that he could give emotional as well as physical performances proved challenging.
“I wanted to overcome the stigma of being ‘just’ a stuntman,” he tells M&F. “People want to put you in a box and make you stay in that box. They doubt you. I had to say no to a lot of stunt work, and that was uncomfortable because there was no guarantee I could have a successful career strictly acting. But I came to a point where I realized if I wasn’t working to make my own dream happen, I’d just be working to make someone else’s work come to life.”
Stephen Oyoung Took a Leap of Faith to Further His Acting Career
Oyoung’s dream of finding serious speaking parts really took off in 2019 when he appeared in Paddleton, Terminator: Dark Fate, and John Wick 3. He also starred in the recent Twisters movie, but playing “Pills” — a U.S. Navy Dive Master in the eighth and final instalment of Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise is his most high-profile acting gig to date. And the story of how Oyoung’s dreams have been intertwined with his hero Cruise is the stuff of movies too.
“Two things happened,” explains Oyoung. “First, when I was dating my now wife, I almost left a vacation with her to do a one day acting job, that’s how much I love acting. Naturally she wasn’t too pleased, so I said, ‘Okay, you’re right, I’m trying to prioritize relationships over work…But you gotta give me Tom Cruise!’ She said ‘What?’ I said, ‘If Tom Cruise calls, wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, you gotta let me go do it.’ She laughed.”
Of course, little did the future Mrs. Oyoung realize that Cruise would begin spying on her fiancé from afar. Not six-months later, Cruise’s top collaborator, Christoper McQuarrie, picked up the phone to discuss the new MI movie.”
Cruise even once appeared while the Oyoung family were dining. “During a break in filming Mission: Impossible, I was having dinner with my now wife and her family in London, and I feel a pat on my shoulders,” Oyoung shares with M&F. “I turn and lo and behold it’s Tom and McQ! We just so happened to be eating at their local spot. Tom even paid for dinner and took pics with the family and McQ chatted with us about moviemaking. It was the best, because I was newly married and what better way to impress your new father-in-law than with a picture with Tom Cruise!”
Still, behind all the fun was some serious work. “I tried to bulk up for this movie,” shares Oyoung. “So, I was eating a lot of red meat and eggs, and I focused on upper body, shoulders, and traps for my workouts. That’s just the nature of a film shoot. Most of it is going to be waist or chest up. But the cool thing about combat fatigues is you look pretty big and bulky no matter what your size, so thank you to the costuming department for that one!”
The young actor’s prep would pay-off, and he even got physical alongside Cruise. “Tom was doing all the big stunts, so I had it easy!” reflects, Oyoung. “In terms of just pure blocking though, the scene in the dry deck shelter, where we’re prepping Ethan Hunt for his dive. That was the most challenging, strictly in terms of getting around all that gear Tom was wearing! You have camera crew, sound, four actors, and the director all crammed into this tube. That was claustrophobic. But I think it added to the intensity of the scene.”
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is in theaters now.
