The Family Plan 2 – Back with Mark Wahlberg, this time in London and Paris

If you had told me years ago that I would get to double Mark Wahlberg on rooftops in Paris with proper film permissions, I would have laughed. And yet that is exactly how this one went.

The Family Plan 2 is now on Apple TV. It is the sequel to the first film we shot in Georgia, and this time the story takes Dan Morgan and his family to Europe for the holidays. I was Mark’s lead stunt double again, based out of Shepperton Studios, and I was lucky enough to be involved from day one helping shape a lot of the fight choreography.

That is the bit I love most, if I am honest. Not just turning up and hitting a mark, but sitting with the team early and figuring out how a scene should actually move.

The first big one was the fight on a London double-decker bus between Mark and Kit Harington. A bus is a terrible place for a fight, which is exactly why it was so much fun to work out. There is no space. You have poles, seats, a low ceiling, and a vehicle that is actually rolling through the city. We had to find movement that still felt exciting with all of those restrictions. On the day it came together brilliantly. Drones overhead, cameras on the bus, tight quarters, and somehow it all landed. I was so proud of that one.

Then there was the hotel climb in London. Middle of the night. Winter. Properly cold. That became the opening shot of the film. I had to do it over and over, and the repetition is what gets you more than the height. Your hands go. Your face goes. You just keep going because that is the job. When I finally saw how it cut, it was worth every take.

We also built some incredible sets at Shepperton. One of them was a bell tower standing in for a real location in Paris. We had a big fight in there, and I got smashed by Kit’s character and took a high fall a couple of storeys down. We had catacombs too. I dropped through trap doors into that underground world, which is one of those gags that looks simple and is anything but. You are putting a lot of trust in the rigging team in those moments. Ours were excellent.

And then Paris.

I have been doing parkour for most of my life, and I still cannot quite believe we got to run the rooftops of that city for a movie. You do not get to do that unless a production has the permissions, the safety plan and the patience. We had all three. Helping design that movement, then actually doing it up there, was a real highlight. It is the kind of day you try to take in while it is happening, because you know it will not come around often.

The people made it. Sean Graham came over from America as supervising stunt coordinator, with his son Reef Graham, who doubled Kit. I have worked with them before and they are just lovely, talented people. The American team, the riggers, the whole unit — everybody was great. Kit was awesome. Mark was Mark: always in good spirits, always involved, always happy to listen and learn, and still so experienced that you would be silly not to listen back. It is a genuine pleasure working for him.

Away from camera it is the usual rhythm. Train. Stay ready. Be available at a moment’s notice. That part of the job does not change whether you are in Atlanta or Shepperton. You keep yourself in the right shape and wait for the call.

This one felt special because it was closer to home. The first Family Plan was an adventure in America. This was London and Paris, cities I could actually feel in my bones. Same character, same actor I have been doubling for years now, and a job that let me use the thing I grew up doing — moving through space — in places most people only ever see from the street.

If you have not seen it yet, the film is on Apple TV. Watch the trailer, then watch the movie. I hope you enjoy it. I know I feel very lucky to have been part of it.