‘Tenet’ Gets a Behind the Scenes Video!! Check It Out!!

Before getting into the family business, John David Washington (son of Denzel) was a professional football player. And judging by this fierce, wild, and invigorating featurette on the making of Tenet, his athleticism was needed in full force on Christopher Nolan‘s time-bending big-budget spy picture.

As you might know, Mr. Nolan is fond of practical effects in his movies, preferring to literally blow something up instead of making a computer simulate blowing it up. Judging by all the stunt work, car chases, gun fights, and martial arts takedowns hinted at and deconstructed in this making-of video, it seems like he has only heightened these impulses and modes of filmmaking. I was, in particular, flabbergasted by Washington’s gung-ho jumping into performing as many of the stunts as possible himself. When this guy hand-to-hand fights a ton of dudes, that’s him. When this guy runs through an opera house covered in heavy armor, that’s him. And when this guy literally jumps onto a moving truck, that’s him! I can barely walk for ten minutes without feeling out of breath — no choice but to stan a stunt king.

Washington and the rest of the cast — which includes Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kenneth Branagh — feel ready for the challenge and thensome, calling the motion picture they’re making full of images they’ve literally never seen on screen before, and ready to give what they can for their team. Based on the images and stunts hinted at in this making-of, they’ve given quite a bit and more.

Check out the full making-of Tenet video below, and hang onto something.