Tony Hawk said he was supposed to play David Spade’s stunt double in the 1987 hit “Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol,” but he was “fired” for being too tall.
The legendary skateboarder discussed what it was like for him to be fired due to his height. “Basically, I got fired,” he told People in a Thursday article. “And then they sent in [skater] Chris Miller, who looks like [Spade] and is the same stance.”
The film did end up using footage of Hawk skating, and he was identified only as “skateboarder” in the credits, but that was a big deviation from the original plan, according to People.
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Hawk explained he was originally a shoo-in to play Spade’s body double, but recalled that he “went through a growth spurt” between the time he went for the audition and when production on the movie began, according to People.
“So for the first week they were like, ‘I think that guy’s too tall.'” Hawk said the director of “Police Academy 4” remarked, “You know, he’s a pretty good skater but he’s a bad stunt double.”
Hawk said everyone tried to work around the situation and put a lot of effort into making things work despite the height difference. He said former professional skateboarder and the film’s second unit director Stacy Peralta “kept telling me, ‘Stay low, stay low,’ and I go, ‘I’m just trying,’ and [eventually] they quietly sent me home.” (RELATED: Billie Eilish Says She Fooled Fans With A Body Double On Stage At Coachella)
Hawk ended up lending his talents as a skateboarder when Spade was unable to complete a five-step stunt.
“I think they just go, ‘Tony just do it. We need to get one right,'” Hawk recalled.