Jean-Claude Van Damme is indisputably one of the greatest action stars of all time. It isn’t too difficult to imagine that he inspired countless other actors along the way either. One notable fan is Daniel Bernhardt (stunt performer and actor known for John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and The Matrix Reloaded‘s Agent Johnson), who ironically became the face of Bloodsport after JCVD.
In an interview with The Jim Masters Show, Bernhardt opened up about how a Versace commercial he did with Van Damme in the ’90s inspired him to become an actor. “I did a commercial in New York with a very famous photographer called Bruce Weber,” Bernhardt said.
“The commercial was for Versace jeans, and it starred Jean-Claude Van Damme. That was the time when Bloodsport and Kickboxer were out, and Van Damme was like a superstar. I was so inspired; I was so excited to meet him. I remember we all met in a loft where we shot this, and Jean-Claude was super nice, the nicest guy. He came in super charming, looked amazing, and I remember he said, ‘All right. So, we’re doing this commercial and who can kick?’ And I [raised my hand], and he goes, ‘Yeah, show me.’ And I just threw a couple of kicks in the air, and he goes, ‘Okay, I’ll take you last.'”
As Bernhardt revealed, this would be his first-ever fight scene on camera, but he impressed JCVD and his entourage. “He really liked what I did,” Bernhardt said. “I remember his producer at the time… They were ready to go do a movie, which I found out later was Double Impact. They were like, ‘Hey, maybe we have something for you.’ Of course, they never called, but that inspired me.”
After starring alongside Van Damme in the Versace commercial, Bernhardt decided that he wanted to follow in the action star’s footsteps. “I just took a chance, and I made myself a little video, a little demo reel, and I sent it out,” he said. “And the first gig I got… It’s actually funny how the universe or God works… I did Bloodsport 2, which was amazing.”
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Bernhardt would star in three Bloodsport sequels – sure, they were nowhere near as iconic as the original, but they’re still tidy martial arts movies to watch on a Friday night. It would also kickstart Bernhardt’s own journey as an action star and stuntman. He would go on to appear in everything from The Matrix to John Wick, as well as starring alongside JCVD in Jean-Claude Van Johnson and Kill ‘Em All. All this happened because he threw a kick that impressed Van Damme. Maybe it’s time for the rest of us to start practicing those side kicks, just in case an opportunity presents itself.
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Bloodsport 2 is available to rent or buy digitally on Amazon Video.
