Meet the Crew of The Spy Next Door (Part 1) - The Official Website of Jackie Chan

On any film production there are hundreds of people working very hard behind the scenes. Jackie wanted you to meet some of the crew of The Spy Next Door. It was Jackie's idea to take the photos and find out a little bit about what each crew member does. After talking to each person, we couldn't resist asking them each what it's like working with Jackie. Here's what we found out:

Bill Daly, Sound Mixer

Bill's job is to record all the sound and sound effects for the movie. Bill worked with Jackie many years ago on the production of The Protector. Here's what he had to say about Jackie:

"I remember working with Jackie years ago - he was great then and he's gotten even better; he's matured like a fine wine. He's a wonderful guy."

Bill Daly with Jackie.

David Baumann, Assistant Prop Master

“What does an assistant prop master do? Basically, everyone in the props department does pretty much the same thing – we have to supply the objects used on a movie set. We keep track of everything and check the continuity; when things were used, when they’re not used, where they were. It’s a good job; I really like it. Keeping track of everybody’s stuff.

Prop Master Tony Bonaventura with Jackie and Assistant Prop Master David Baumann.

Working with Jackie….well, he’s incredible. He’s probably one of the most professional people to ever be in the business. He’s amazing; just the hours and the devotion, professionalism. He’s just a happy guy too; there’s none of that…you know, ‘stuff.’ He’s always got a smile on his face. He’s just wonderful to work with, absolutely fabulous.”

Lawrence Tolle, Prop Assistant.

“If you want to know what a prop assistant does, read what David said…he’s good at speaking on the fly. As for what it’s like working with Jackie….Jackie’s great! It’s always really exciting to be working around Jackie. He and his whole team are so professional. They all know what they’re doing and are just a pleasure to be around. Jackie is very gracious and seems very grateful to be in the position he’s in.”

Jackie with Lawrence.

Douglas Noe, Jackie’s Makeup Artist

“A makeup artist has many responsibilities. What are some of the things I do? Well, for this film, Jackie wanted a little bit darker skin [to simulate a slight tan]. First I had to match his skin tone to cover any blemishes, then mix colors to create the correct tone. During the course of filming, I am constantly checking his eyes, ears, nose, teeth, and corners of his mouth. He’s not aware that I’m doing this; I just keep an eye on him to make sure everything looks right. I have to make sure that his makeup is blended down to the appropriate line so that the wardrobe covers the edge. Because of all the action he does, I’m using a very tenacious makeup that holds very well. I watch Jackie constantly during the day and if he waves me away when I approach him, I respect that. I don’t want to interfere with his process.

Jackie and Douglas.

Working for Jackie is infectious and wonderful and easy. He brings a brand of excitement and a mixture of humility that allows him to be involved without offending. It’s wonderful. I’d do it over and over if I could.”

Herb DeWing, Jackie’s Hair Stylist

Herb’s job is to cut, style, and maintain Jackie’s hair for the film.

“Working with Jackie is a completely awesome experience. He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and worked with. He’s generous of heart…he’s just completely generous. I can’t say enough about him.”

Herb and Jackie.

Ralph Watson, Steadicam Operator

The Steadicam is a specialized camera which allows a cameraman to hand-hold the camera without any camera shake. The Steadicam and its harness weighs 75 pounds, and in the case of Ralph Watson, this is half his body weight!

Here’s what Ralph had to say about working with Jackie:

“It’s been fun working with Jackie. What’s cool is that he’s a filmmaker; he designs and directs the fights, he’s directed movies before. What I like is that he hangs out on set all day. He likes to be around everyone. Most movie stars go their trailers to avoid us. He likes being around us and I’ve enjoyed that.”

Jackie and Ralph.

Colleen Hayes, Stills Photographer

On a movie set, the stills photographer uses a special camera housing which silences all noise that a still camera makes when you take a picture. The stills photographer’s job is to photograph all of the scenes that are filmed on a movie and to take behind-the-scenes photos as well. These photos are used for promotion of the movie.

Colleen and Jackie.

“What’s it like working with Jackie? Oh, he’s wonderful; I’m so excited. I’m so pleased to be working for him; he’s so easy to photograph. Jackie is fabulous, even though he pretends to punch me. Working with Jackie Chan is pretty great; he’s a really nice guy. Working with him is one of the best celebrity experiences I’ve ever had.”

Anna Ramey, Set Production Assistant

On set, the production assistant, in Anna’s words, “Does anything that everybody else doesn’t want to do and anything that needs to be done. If the director needs something or the assistant director needs something moved or we need cast on set…I run and get it. Just about anything. Working with Jackie has been great.”

Jackie and Anna.

Shannon Parker, Basecamp Production Assistant

“The basecamp production assistant tells the actors what to do, where to go, when to be there. It’s been an amazing experience working with Jackie, I’ve never had anything like it in my entire life. He’s an amazing man. I don’t respect too many actors, but I respect him. And that’s for the record.”

Shannon and Jackie.

Casey Hotchkiss, Camera Operator

“Working with Jackie is a total, absolute pleasure. Not only is he one of the nicest men I’ve ever met, but when it comes down to doing the fight sequences, he’s got it all figured out in his head exactly how to do it, which makes our lives so much easier. That’s one of the reasons why we’re able to get so much done. The last two days of filming the action sequences…when I first saw the rehearsal, I thought that there was no way we could get it done. I thought it would require at least a week of work. But because of Jackie, because he has it all figured out how to do everything, we were able to do it in two days. I was amazed. It’s been a great experience. He’s a nice guy and he’s talented.”

Casey and Jackie.

Jennifer Dickey, Set Medic

“On the set, the medic takes care of anybody that happens to get sick or injured. Jennifer is a trained paramedic and on the set she treats everything from headache, allergies, and the flu to abrasions or broken legs.

What’s it like working with Jackie? Well, I treated one of his injuries. He ran into a table and got a scratch on his knee. Jackie is awesome to work with. It’s amazing the way he interacts with people; he’s like an equal with everyone. He goes out of his way to make you feel good about yourself. I will never forget the first time I saw the way Jackie was interacting with the kids. That will be an image I’ll never forget. It was amazing. I’ve never seen an actor or actress go out of their way to spend time with kids. It was completely wonderful.”

Jennifer and Jackie.

Eric Glasser, Second 2nd Assistant Director

What does a second 2nd Assistant Director do?

Eric: “That depends on who you ask (laughs). For example, just a minute ago I had twenty crew members yelling at me that they were allowed to go through a door that I was told by my boss that they can’t go through. That’s one thing that I do. I also cue actors, do some scheduling of the movie. George [1st Assistant Director] does the main scheduling, but we help out with that. We do a lot of things….watching the cast, coordinating with all of the departments on what’s going on at any given moment.”

What’s it like working with Jackie?

“Quite honestly – we were all talking the other day – this has been one of the most enjoyable movie making experiences we’ve had and I’m not just saying that because I’m on record saying it. This is evidenced in the night Jackie took the crew out to dinner and the words that Brian said when he gave a toast. It’s a really unusual thing; usually at the end of the day people want to go home; they’ve done their day. It was really nice – people took the time to spend more time with the crew. The vibe on set has been really fun and light; it’s been a good environment for the kids; no rush ‘em in, rush ‘em out. Everybody wants to be here. It’s been great so far."

Eric and Jackie.

Chip Byrd, First Camera Assistant

“My responsibility is to take care of the camera; the camera is my baby. So I build the camera in the morning; make sure it’s operational; if there are any problems I fix them. During shooting I change the film, change lenses. Most importantly, though, is that I keep the actors in focus; I keep Jackie in focus – literally in focus. If Jackie’s out of focus, it’s my responsibility. We use all manual focus cameras; no autofocus cameras.

Jackie and Chip.

Working with Jackie? Wow, he’s so approachable, accessible. He’s a fantastic guy; a very generous guy; outgoing and friendly. He’s not afraid to push a dolly, push carts to help us out. He’s just very gregarious, fantastic individual. I just can’t say enough good things about him.”

Part Two of our crew introductions.