Monday, May 22, 2000 | 9:18 a.m.
What: Universal's Stunt School.
Where: Northeast parking lot of the Boulevard mall (near Marshalls).
When: 5 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday.
Cost: Free.
Information: Call (916) 213-5164.
Falling off a high platform, being propelled high into the air, dodging explosions and flying fists ... a really bad day for most.
But it's all in a day's work for John Donahue and Wendy Miklovic.
Stunt people with Universal Studios Hollywood, the duo make up half of a touring unit -- Universal's Stunt School -- that comes to Las Vegas Tuesday to promote the stunt shows at the Southern California theme park.
The show is between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the northeast parking lot of Boulevard mall.
"We hope to give kids an inside peek at what we do at the theme park and also a sneak peek behind the scenes of films and how they work (and the) stunts and technology together to create some of the neat stuff you see in film," Donahue said.
Miklovic added that the touring performance essentially is a stripped-down version of the Universal production, offering audiences a chance to see what happens without all of the props and effects.
"It's a good chance to see what we're doing before the pyros (pyrotechnics)," she said.
Some of those stunts include a three-story fall; a slide for life; ascender and descender effects, in which the various members of the stunt team are propelled into the air; and cinematic special effects components, in which audience members will perform simple stunts in front of a "green screen" and then be digitally inserted into scenes from "The Mummy."
If it sounds like just a publicity stunt by Universal Studios to tout its stunt shows and crew -- it is. But there's something more: the opportunity for children to see something they might consider as a career, as Donahue did. He knew from age 6 that he wanted to be a stunt man.
While growing up, the Philadelphia native said that he was always getting into trouble for climbing trees or even buildings. Like a stunt man, he thought about adding other challenges, wondering if he could leap from a church roof to a tree 10 feet away.
"It was nothing I'd say out loud; I would just think it," Donahue said.
As it turned out, he wasn't always successful when he made his attempts: Donahue cracked his head open five times -- suffering amnesia twice in the process -- before becoming a stunt man.
"Maybe I decided to become a stuntman because I knew they do it safe," he joked.
Donahue also was preparing himself in other ways, taking classes in various martial arts -- he has studied tae kwon do -- and gymnastics.
The 27-year-old Donahue's dreams were fulfilled several years ago when he auditioned with Universal Studios and landed a part in a stunt show.
And when not in the touring show he performs five days a week in two of the theme park's stunt shows: "The Wild, Wild, Wild West Stunt Show" and "Waterworld -- A Live Sea War Spectacular."
It's a similar story for Miklovic, who appears in the same shows.
In her late 20s, the Los Angeles native grew up as a tomboy surrounded by two brothers. "I always wanted to be an actor," Miklovic said, "but I was always very physical."
So the idea of becoming a stunt woman seemed like a natural fit, allowing her the opportunity to do both. And with her background in martial arts -- she holds a second-degree black belt in jujitsu -- and other sports, she was physically prepared for the job and had the mental discipline necessary to perform the stunts.
But Miklovic said that when she auditioned for the leading female role of Red Sonja in the "Conan the Barbarian" stunt show at Universal Studios, she realized she had her work cut out for her.
Not only did she not have any experience as a stunt woman, but Miklovic, who is 5-foot-3-inches tall, is a far cry from actress Brigitte Nielsen, who originated the role in the 1985 movie.
"What I lack in stature, I make up in everything else," Miklovic said.
At that time she said she felt the need to show people she was more than her appearance; there was a mental and physical toughness that belied her age, gender and height.
"I wanted to prove I could do anything," she said. "I don't want anyone to think, 'Here's this little girl.' "
Her work paid off when she got the part, and 10 years later she's still going strong, although things haven't been as easy as they once were. The aches and pains, like an unwanted guest, show up unexpectedly and tend to linger.
"The more you do it -- especially the live shows, where you do it five or six times a day, every day -- you feel it in the body more," Miklovic said. "Most of that is my own doing: I take my body for granted and don't treat it the way I should.
"When I was 16 and didn't stretch, nothing hurt the next day; now when I don't stretch, I feel like I got hit by a truck."
But neither Donahue nor Miklovic are ready to call it quits. Both said that they love being stunt performers and working at Universal Studios. But they both want other things in life: moving from nameless faces in the crowd who are shot, hit by cars or jump out of buildings, to having their names at the beginning of the credits.
It's something they've both done -- although on a moderate scale.
Donahue recently appeared in a short film, "Protect-o-Man," which won the best short film prize at the Santa Monica, Calif., film festival; he also said he's hoping to star in a low-budget action film along with some stunt men friends of his, as well as appear in a horror movie.
Miklovic starred in the low-budget, martial arts film "Strike Back" a few years ago but "unfortunately as independent films go, it's hard to find; never saw the money I thought I'd get either," she said.
More recently she played the title role in a production of "Evita" and continues to take acting classes. She also has other plans beyond the glaring lights of screen and stage as she gets older.
"At some point I want a family and I want that life," she said.
In the meantime both Donahue and Miklovic said that they are happy with their jobs at Universal Studios, and are happy with the opportunities afforded them in making contacts in the film industry. But they aren't ruling out quitting their jobs at the studio if opportunity knocks at their door in the form of a leading role in a major film.
Said Miklovic: "I have no plans of leaving (Universal) anytime soon, no plans on staying if something were to come up."
If this sounds like the kind of life that appeals to you, both stunt people had some suggestions: Study martial arts, gymnastics and even diving -- "things that increase the awareness of your body and increase the discipline," Miklovic said.
"I'd tell kids to stay in school, not to sound cheesy," she said. "But it takes a lot more than you think it does to do what we do."
Kirk Baird is an Accent feature writer. Reach him at [email protected] or at 259-8801.
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