{"id":14344,"date":"2025-05-31T00:27:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T17:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14344"},"modified":"2025-05-31T00:27:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T17:27:19","slug":"stephen-oyoung-levels-up-from-stuntman-to-mission-impossible-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14344","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Oyoung Levels Up From Stuntman to &#8216;Mission: Impossible&#8217; Star"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Martial arts expert Stephen Oyoung developed a love of acting as a child, but with his career <a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/features\/active-lifestyle\/how-train-stuntman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">heading down the path of stunts and fight choreography<\/a>, a seemingly impossible mission to find his own roles would take some serious self-confidence. Now starring in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fsQgc9pCyDU&amp;pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mission: Impossible \u2014 The Final Reckoning<\/a><\/em>, Oyoung tells <em>M&amp;F<\/em> how self-belief and the watchful eye of his hero, Tom Cruise, has proven that hard work really does pay off.<\/p>\n<p>Breaking through the limitations of typecasting in Hollywood can be a real hindrance, says Stephen Oyoung, who learned the Chinese martial art of Washu from his father, and went on to use his skills on set. As a stunt performer, Oyoung earned an enviable reputation in films like Deadpool and Olympus Has Fallen, and he even trained Keanu Reeves, Denzel Washington, and Adam Driver for 47 Ronin, but convincing casting agents that he could give emotional as well as physical performances proved challenging.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to overcome the stigma of being \u2018just\u2019 a stuntman,\u201d he tells M&amp;F. \u201cPeople want to put you in a box and make you stay in that box. They doubt you. I had to say no to a lot of stunt work, and that was uncomfortable because there was no guarantee I could have a successful career strictly acting. But I came to a point where I realized if I wasn\u2019t working to make my own dream happen, I\u2019d just be working to make someone else\u2019s work come to life.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Stephen Oyoung Took a Leap of Faith to Further His Acting Career<\/h2>\n<p>Oyoung\u2019s dream of finding serious speaking parts really took off in 2019 when he appeared in <em>Paddleton, Terminator: Dark Fate,<\/em> and <em>John Wick 3<\/em>. He also starred in the recent <em>Twisters<\/em> movie, but playing \u201cPills\u201d \u2014 a U.S. Navy Dive Master in the eighth and final instalment of Cruise\u2019s <em>Mission Impossible<\/em> franchise is his most high-profile acting gig to date. And the story of how Oyoung\u2019s dreams have been intertwined with his hero Cruise is the stuff of movies too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo things happened,\u201d explains Oyoung. \u201cFirst, when I was dating my now wife, I almost left a vacation with her to do a one day acting job, that\u2019s how much I love acting. Naturally she wasn\u2019t too pleased, so I said, \u2018Okay, you\u2019re right, I\u2019m trying to prioritize relationships over work\u2026But you gotta give me Tom Cruise!\u2019 She said \u2018What?\u2019 I said, \u2018If Tom Cruise calls, wherever we are, whatever we\u2019re doing, you gotta let me go do it.\u2019 She laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, little did the future Mrs. Oyoung realize that Cruise would begin spying on her fianc\u00e9 from afar. Not six-months later, Cruise\u2019s top collaborator, Christoper McQuarrie, picked up the phone to discuss the new <em>MI<\/em> movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:55.36519386835%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Actor-Tom-Cruise-with-Stephen-Oyoungs-family-at-a-restaurant.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" alt=\"Actor Tom Cruise with Stephen Oyoung's family at a restaurant\" width=\"1109\" height=\"614\" data-fallback-img=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Actor-Tom-Cruise-with-Stephen-Oyoungs-family-at-a-restaurant.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"credit\">stephenoyoung\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cruise even once appeared while the Oyoung family were dining. \u201cDuring a break in filming <em>Mission: Impossible<\/em>, I was having dinner with my now wife and her family in London, and I feel a pat on my shoulders,\u201d Oyoung shares with <em>M&amp;F<\/em>. \u201cI turn and lo and behold it\u2019s Tom and McQ! We just so happened to be eating at their local spot. Tom even paid for dinner and took pics with the family and McQ chatted with us about moviemaking. It was the best, because I was newly married and what better way to impress your new father-in-law than with a picture with Tom Cruise!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, behind all the fun was some serious work. \u201cI tried to bulk up for this movie,\u201d shares Oyoung. \u201cSo, I was eating a lot of red meat and eggs, and I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/routine\/workouts\/shoulder-exercises\/360-degree-shoulder-workout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">focused on upper body, shoulders, and traps for my workouts<\/a>. That\u2019s just the nature of a film shoot. Most of it is going to be waist or chest up. But the cool thing about combat fatigues is you look pretty big and bulky no matter what your size, so thank you to the costuming department for that one!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:55.36519386835%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Stephen-Oyoung-Actor-and-Costar-to-Tom-Cruise-at-a-promotional-appearance-for-Mission-Impossible-The-Final-Reckoning.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" alt=\"Stephen Oyoung Actor and Costar to Tom Cruise at a promotional appearance for Mission Impossible- The Final Reckoning\" width=\"1109\" height=\"614\" data-fallback-img=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Stephen-Oyoung-Actor-and-Costar-to-Tom-Cruise-at-a-promotional-appearance-for-Mission-Impossible-The-Final-Reckoning.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"credit\">stephenoyoung\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The young actor\u2019s prep would pay-off, and he even got physical alongside Cruise. \u201cTom was doing all the big stunts, so I had it easy!\u201d reflects, Oyoung. \u201cIn terms of just pure blocking though, the scene in the dry deck shelter, where we\u2019re prepping Ethan Hunt for his dive. That was the most challenging, strictly in terms of getting around all that gear Tom was wearing! You have camera crew, sound, four actors, and the director all crammed into this tube. That was claustrophobic. But I think it added to the intensity of the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning is in theaters now.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/stephenoyoung\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Follow Stephen Oyoung on Instagram here!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/athletes-celebrities\/news\/stephen-oyoung-levels-up-from-stuntman-to-mission-impossible-star\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Martial arts expert Stephen Oyoung developed a love of acting as a child, but with his career heading down the path of stunts and fight choreography, a seemingly impossible mission to find his own roles would take some serious self-confidence. Now starring in Mission: Impossible \u2014 The Final Reckoning, Oyoung tells M&amp;F how self-belief and &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14344\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}