6 Underground/Netflix
Meet Brett Smrz, the Man Behind the Incredible Car Chase in Ryan Reynolds' '6 Underground'
There are plenty of death-defying stunts in the new Ryan Reynolds Netflix movie 6 Underground. From intense explosions, a magnet-filled assault on a yacht, gun fights with bad guys on skyscrapers, and foot chases across rooftops using parkour, the film went above and beyond when it comes to action-packed moments.
But the most jaw-dropping stunt might be the car chase that took place on the streets of Florence, Italy—including a jaunt through the centuries-old Pitti Palace. As Reynolds put it in a recent interview, that chase might be “the craziest car chase that has ever been committed to film.” And the man behind the wheel for that sequence? His name is Brett Smrz, and he’s worked on some of the biggest action films of the last decade.
“It was surreal to be able to collaborate with the Pitti Palace to make that scene possible,” Smrz told Men’s Journal. “It was a very tight space with not much room for error. In some spots there were only inches to spare, and if we damaged anything inside the museum we would have been in really big trouble. I personally didn't get to see the Pitti Palace until the day we shot there. For me, driving at the Pitti Palace was one of the highlights of 6 Underground.”
Here’s a look at the scene in the 6 Underground trailer:
Smrz has built a reputation as one of the top stuntmen in Hollywood. Over the course of his career, he's earned credits in movies like Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, The Amazing Spider-Man series, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and 2019’s Ford v. Ferrari. And Smrz has shown no signs of slowing down. He's done work for upcoming films including Fast & Furious9, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Suicide Squad, and Cash Truck, where he worked as a stunt driver and driving double for star Scott Eastwood.
Smrz's resume makes him a one of the top drivers in the business, but that's not the only thing that makes him unique: He also drives with a carbon fiber prosthetic leg. Soon after his first professional race at 16 years old, Smrz suffered an accident on a trampoline, which resulted in 10 complex surgeries and the loss of his left leg below the knee. But the accident didn’t stop Smrz from pursuing what he loved most, and he was soon back in the driver's seat.
Smrz spoke with Men’s Journal about what it was like driving through the streets of Italy for 6 Underground, how he prepared for his most dangerous scenes, and the prep that goes into working on a big-budget blockbuster.
Men's Journal: Your backstory is really inspiring. How did you get into stunt driving work?
Brett Smrz: I appreciate the kind words. When I was a teenager, I raced go-karts, open wheel, and sports cars internationally. I won a few championships and had a successful career, but the expenses got a bit too high for me to continue racing. My father, Gregg Smrz, and my uncle, Brian Smrz, are both in the stunt business and when I turned 18, I decided to fully commit to stunts. Given my racing background, I convinced some stunt coordinators to trust my driving abilities, which in turn got me invited to join the stunt driving group Drivers Inc. I've enjoyed so many things about the stunt business. Getting to go to incredible locations, such as Florence, and drive exotic cars, like the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio—it's like a dream come true! Believe it or not, I also enjoy crashing cars. Cannon rolls, pipe ramps, and car crashes are some of my favorite things to do. That's what really gets the adrenaline pumping, especially while performing for Michael Bay.