Greenland 2: Migration is now in theaters. Ric Roman Waugh trained and mentored by some of the greats. Names like Tony Scott, and having first-hand experience of Tom Cruise building his ‘greatest stuntman in history’ legacy. Waugh has a unique perspective on what makes good action and better set pieces.

For Ric, it has to all be ‘from the inside out’. The obvious old statements about character driving plot are layered in Waugh’s belief system, or mantra, as he called it in an interview with THS. The distinction comes in Waugh’s focus that the action itself must be built outwardly from the dynamics of not only the characters, but the stunts themselves.

A CONVERSATION WITH RIC ROMAN WAUGH

As a former stunt man, Ric knows what the actual danger and threat can do. He knows how replicating even a fraction of that can do for a performance. Despite the dominance of visual effects, which he feels went overboard within the industry at various times, Ric tries to ground the set pieces he directs in some actual real-life situation.

There is an extremely intense sequence nestled in the middle of his latest film, “Greenland 2: Migration”, that highlights this mindset. The Garrity family (Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, and Roman Griffin Davis) is back, fleeing one post-apocalyptic catastrophe after another. They are faced with a death-defying high-wire act over a chasm on nothing but a flimsy old ladder. To be completely fair, there are aspects of this sequence, as well as many others, that aren’t completely visually convincing. Yet something about this section is absolutely edge-of-your-seat stressful, even when the audience can tell it’s not completely real.

Waugh explained that what was more important to him was, in fact, very real. The inner experience of the actors. He had the trio of stars actually travel across a flimsy ladder. This was set up very high above something of a chasm. While they weren’t in real danger like their characters, it would be impossible for their performances not to indicate the very real threat they felt of falling.

ALSO SEE: ‘GREENLAND 2’ REVIEW – STRESS, SPECTACLE, AND A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF SOUL

THE NEED FOR SCENES TO LOOK REAL

It is in this type of moment and emphasis on certain realities that Waughs’ sequence, like so many before it, transcends the obvious. Because what looks real or not has quite dictated how audiences experience stakes. It is what ‘feels’ real that truly matters.

Hence the mantra, from the inside out. Waugh knows that relatability is key. He refuses to take on projects or scripts in which he can’t find the regular human within the extreme circumstances his films often depict. He applauds Gerard Butler for being up to the task over and over again. Also on the subject of his upcoming Jason Statham collaboration, he can only hint for now that fans everywhere will be shocked and thrilled at what is in store for them.

Lionsgate‘s Greenland 2: Migration is now in theaters.