DAVID LETTERMAN: The guy, oh the guy
is going to fall down again.
Brian, are you out there?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Yes sir, I am.
DAVID LETTERMAN: OK where are you now, Brian?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Mr. Letterman, I'm on the lobby step.
DAVID LETTERMAN: All right, be very careful.
This is carpeted, now.
So before, it was concrete and steel.
Right?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Yes, sir.
DAVID LETTERMAN: This is stunt man, Brian Donahue falling down
the stairs.
Take it away, Brian.
[FALLING SOUNDS]
BRIAN DONAHUE: I don't know if you ever
saw the movie, The Right Stuff.
And it was about the astronauts abut
when they took the test pilots.
And the only one that didn't go was Chuck Yeager.
Chuck Yeager stayed behind.
He wanted to be a test pilot.
It's all he wanted to do.
He didn't want the fanfare.
He didn't want the hype.
He didn't want to be the American hero.
He stayed there in the grunge and he
kept testing the flights.
They show all these other guys getting the accolades
and the ticker tape parades, at the White
House meeting the president.
And then they show Yeager coming out of a crash.
He came off over the hill and it was all charcoaled.
I've done that.
I said, yeah.
Chuck Yeager, that's it.
Hello Mr. Letterman, how are you?
DAVID LETTERMAN: Good.
Welcome to the show.
BRIAN DONAHUE: Thank you so much.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Thanks for helping us out here, tonight.
We really appreciate it.
BRIAN DONAHUE: Thank you.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Where are you from, Brian?
BRIAN DONAHUE: I'm from Long Island, New York.
Originally, Boston.
If you're working on a big film and you got a big A-list star--
they break an ankle, they twist the back, whatever--
that whole production is shutting down.
Me-- all right, Brian's hurt.
Next.
[SAD MUSIC PLAYING]
[CONSTRUCTION SOUNDS]
This was a simple bit of me running from them
when they first spot me.
And the guy jumps on my back.
Well, the guy jumped but he jumped from the side.
MAN (ON TV): Hey, big guy.
Joe, right?
BRIAN DONAHUE: His weight and my weight all came down at once.
My quadricep tendon on my left leg completely snapped in half.
I needed to get a gig as I started
healing the leg where I could make a few dollars
and also maybe get some benefits.
That was 2006.
And now, it's 2017.
I actually come from a football background.
I did real well in high school.
And I got recruited by Exeter Academy in New Hampshire,
competed there, ended up winning the national championship
in the shot put, ended up going down
to the University of Texas Longhorns.
I had gone on to the New York Jets,
signed a contract in '87 with the Green Bay Packers.
I ended up spending some time up in Canada with the Toronto
Argonauts.
I remember jumping out of the car,
trying to throw a dropkick at two cops.
I used to bounce in clubs when I was doing the construction
and everything else to pick up a buck,
working at Lundy Electronics ding maintenance.
One of the universities I went to
was Spofford Hall University.
Spofford Hall's a rehab.
Went down to Walt Disney World where
I became the German mechanic.
[GUN SOUNDS]
Nothing better than walking out to a 2,000 person
amphitheater and going, good morning ladies and gentlemen.
How are you?
Good morning, how is everyone doing?
Are you having a Disney day?
[APPLAUSE]
LORI LEE DONAHUE: I have the normal job.
So I'm at a desk all day where I will be able to see emails.
When he has auditions, I will film him, email it to whoever
it is has to go to.
(ANGRILY) Drink your soup!
Kind of like the manager, but not getting the 10%.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Brian Donahue was a stunt man and an actor.
And he just finished up doing a film with John Goodman.
Is that right?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Yes, sir.
DAVID LETTERMAN: John Goodman seems like a very nice guy.
BRIAN DONAHUE: He's a gentleman.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Yeah.
He's been on the show many times.
And we're always happy to have him.
BRIAN DONAHUE: Larry Deck, who is
a supervisor of the facility in Uniondale,
it was like he was looking at cattle.
I kind of gave him a look.
I looked at him like, what are looking at?
It was just the way he was staring at me, like--
I hadn't even signed in yet.
You know, you look familiar to me.
It was August 20, I believe 2007.
Did you wrestle years ago, many years ago?
He came in as a trainee.
I said, I've seen it on TV.
I love it.
You know, it's very exciting, all the costumes
and the colors.
Right off the street.
And he was assigned to me.
Are you sure?
Yeah, he looked at me and I go--
You weren't the Dublin Destroyer?
[PHOTO SOUNDS]
WOMAN: The Dublin Destroyer!
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
ANNOUNCER 1: Going to work on Donahue.
Down he goes.
DAVID LETTERMAN He's all oiled up.
You gotta give him that.
It was pretty cool.
Now we became friendly.
And fortunately, he's a big movie and TV fan.
And I work hard for him.
So when I do need a day or two or a few days
off to do a shoot, he's like, one text and I'm clean.
[HAPPY MUSIC PLAYING]
MAN: Roll when ready, stunts are ready.
Is everyone OK?
This is 203.
Action!
LORI LEE DONAHUE: I'd be happier if he does more acting roles.
I've been saying that for years.
MAN: Do you have focus?
LORI LEE DONAHUE: When he's actually there,
he ends up being brought into the forefront
and ending up getting some kind of line when he wasn't supposed
to say anything that day.
Or he'll throw in some kind of line that they're like,
oh that's good.
We'll keep that in there.
BRIAN DONAHUE: Being able to have a few lines, that
was a big deal.
Someone's giving you an opportunity.
Someone's taking the time to actually let
you work on your craft and be an entertainer.
You may be the maintenance guy.
You may be the policeman.
You may be whatever, the thug.
But you're only in there for three or four lines,
maybe, at most.
And then you're out.
If you're looking for the ladie's auxiliary,
try over on the west side.
It's a bunch of big ugly women.
Out of the way, you moron!
You're going to what?
You're going to throw a rock at me?
You ain't going to do shit.
For me, there's my end game to keep going and getting better
spots and doing better work.
What, nobody can have any fun except you?
I'm the one's been married 10--
[POLICE SIRENS]
[ALARM CLOCK]
DAVID LETTERMAN: Last time he wet from the third
to the second floor.
We're changing it a little bit this time.
He's going from the second to the first floor.
That might have been a concussion there.
We'll have one of our boys check you out.
BRIAN DONAHUE: OK.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Nice job, Brian.
Glad you're all right.
How about that?
BRIAN DONAHUE: You definitely have a paranoia,
like will I work again?
It's like anything.
If you got a football player and they
get an injury going into the draft,
they go down about 100 pegs that quick.
You go red flagged.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Were you in the NFL long enough
to get the pension or you a veteran?
BRIAN DONAHUE: No, sir.
DAVID LETTERMAN: I'm sorry to hear that.
BRIAN DONAHUE: I had people that hadn't hired me
since I got busted up going doing Brotherhood.
LORI LEE DONAHUE: The ups and downs with the different jobs,
that's a tough time, you know I'm thinking am I out
of the business?
It does worry me.
But I'm used to it at this point because it's been
how many years of it, you know?
[PHOTO SOUNDS]
[FUN MUSIC PLAYING]
BRIAN DONAHUE: [INAUDIBLE]
There is beer in heaven.
Stuntmen are experts at hiding themselves, you know.
Because once you get you get established, that's it for you.
They can't use you for that season again on a TV show
or on a film.
Hey, fuck you!
Woah, woah woah!
MANNY SIVERIO: But Brian loves mugging the camera.
BRIAN DONAHUE: Prime Variety dog food, take two.
Brian Donahue.
These young guys have been in the game two or three years,
have more IMDB credits than I'll ever have.
They're not interested in dialogue.
MANNY SIVERIO: Whenever I get something
that requires some acting, I try to pitch it to the producer,
look we got one guy who could do both.
What were you looking at, you--
LORI LEE DONAHUE: I don't think I can tell him to stop.
But I do tell him to be careful.
Sometimes, I don't want to know what he's doing.
It's better to know after the fact that he's home
and he's telling me and he's fine.
BRIAN DONAHUE: I want to give them more than they paid for.
I want them to go, we gotta bargain with this guy.
Unless I'm getting hit by a car or falling down
a flight of concrete stairs or whatever,
if it's something I can do, I'm doing it.
No pads.
My favorite thing is when I'm laying there and they say,
is he OK?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DAVID LETTERMAN: What little I know about this stunt work,
falling down stairs is very, very dangerous.
BRIAN DONAHUE: It can be.
DAVID LETTERMAN: I guess we're just going to do it now?
We're going to do one now?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Why not?
MICHAEL GALLAGHER: The average person,
if they're going to injure themselves at the knee,
is going to be at the weakest point of their tendon called
the patella tendon.
Brian, he had actually ruptured above the kneecap.
This tendon in actuality is about three times
the thickness, here.
In a 30 year career and tens of thousands of patients,
I had only seen one prior to that.
As rare as that injury is, Brian came back
two to three years later tearing the quadriceps
on his other leg.
Why did Brian tear two quadriceps?
That's not normal.
BRIAN DONAHUE: I had a coach in Texas.
And he'd say, are you injured or are you hurt?
And he wouldn't blink, are you injured or are you hurt?
Well if you're injured, that means you're incapacitated.
And you can't perform.
And you cannot function.
We need to get you off the field and get you medical attention.
But if you are hurt, get up.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Don't lie to me.
Are you ready to go on this next one?
BRIAN DONAHUE: I'm going to go, sir.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Because it looked like you might have got
banged up a little bit.
BRIAN DONAHUE: No, it comes with the territory, sir.
DAVID LETTERMAN: All right, you're a trooper.
BRIAN DONAHUE: I'll be honest.
I've had my share of concussions and chipped bones
and everything over the years.
I've had three or four concussions in the last couple
years.
You get the spin sometimes.
You get dizzy, you get a little spaced out
or trouble you know if the sun hits your eyes sometimes.
I'll be honest about it.
It happens.
But you know what, I get up every day.
I still am hitting UPS every morning, loading those crates.
I load better than anyone that ever walked in that building.
That's what the bosses say, anyway.
Like I said, I'm not going to worry about things.
Because it is what it is.
I've got a lovely wife that'll take care of me.
LORI LEE DONAHUE: : He's got to take care of himself.
I think he said, a couple of the guys
now like when he started out the older guys,
they're using walkers and things like that.
Please don't do something reckless
because I know he is like that.
He'll give it his all.
BRIAN DONAHUE: I'd rather shine and rock
the house for this long than to--
what do they say, the song that the better the--
you know what I'm talking about.
I don't even know the words, now.
But it's better than the fade away,
to boom to blow up and just go.
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]
DAVID LETTERMAN: What position did you play?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Nose guard.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Is that offense or defense?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Defense, sir.
DAVID LETTERMAN: So you're lining up,
running across from the center?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Yes, sir.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Oh so you just get your head kicked
in every play, don't you?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Pretty much.
People I trust, people that wouldn't steer me wrong,
they're saying to me, are you OK?
Panic attacks, feeling aggressive, dizzy spells.
BARRY KOSOFSKY: Was the frontal lobe more atrophic a year later
than it was with the original scan?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Yes.
BARRY KOSOFSKY: The symptoms you're
describing have a suggestion of frontal lobe dysfunction.
You're asking the question, can I attribute it to the hits
I took over decades.
And we have no idea.
All I can tell you is no matter what caused it,
additional head shots will only further
aggravate much more than they did previously.
BRIAN DONAHUE: I'm already so far
in now, what am I going to do?
BARRY KOSOFSKY: That's a very different decision.
That's a personal decision, not a medical decision.
You have defined yourself in this way
as the tough guy for decades.
It may or may not be your identity.
It may or may not be financially driven.
My recommendation is don't do any more stunts.
LARRY DECK: He puts his heart and soul in everything he does.
He puts his heart and soul in working here.
MAN (ON TV): Brian Donahue, number 95, from Massachusetts.
LARRY DECK: Brian's not satisfied just
getting the last package in the car.
Put it this way.
When Brian's not there, the drivers
know because the first thing out of their mouth
is, how long is he out for?
That's how you know a guy has made his mark.
I have nothing but respect for that.
DAVID LETTERMAN: We got a guy.
Where the hell's the guy?
Can the guy hear me?
Where's the guy?
I want to talk him.
There he is right here.
Hi, Brian.
BRIAN DONAHUE: That's what Letterman called me, the guy.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Wait a minute, you know who that looks like?
BRIAN DONAHUE: Who?
That looks like that guy who beats up Alan every night.
BRIAN DONAHUE: The guy that beats up
Alan Kalter, the guy that does this and that.
Just out of curiosity, I said, I know you do memorials
when someone dies.
Do you have one on me?
And Jerry Foley, the director of the show,
said, yeah do you want to see it?
And I stood there and I watched.
And it was slow motion clips of of all the years.
PAUL SHAFFER: He's obviously not Lance Armstrong.
He is not.
DAVID LETTERMAN: Take it away Brian, here we go.
Godspeed.
That looked nasty.
Is he OK?
Are you all right, Brian?
And then it came up, "In memorium, you will be missed.
1962...space."
It was a funny feeling watching that.
[SAD MUSIC PLAYING]
I based my life on the athleticism and on the sports
and on the size.
Now I'm getting chipped up and beat up
and I'm getting crushed.
What am I going to do now?
So you know what I said, I'll keep going.
I'm just picking up speed now.
I'm just starting to kill it.
All of a sudden in the last couple of years--
last two years--
I've probably done 15 different television shows.
[INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC PLAYING]
Then all of a sudden, the word gets out.
Hey, he's good to go.
He's back.
He's better than ever.
You've got to see this guy.
You get to a set and producer says,
where have you been hiding this guy?
Wow.
Hiding?
I've been at UPS five days a week.
We might hobble our way out there, crawl our way back
to the locker room.
We may not have 15 gigs the next week.
But the ones we do have, are gonna kick ass.
MAN: Number set, and action.
[INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC PLAYING]
[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING]